


Family Matters

by headgeekette



Series: The Spengler Chronicles [1]
Category: Ghostbusters - All Media Types, The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: All is not what it seems, Family, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Other, Psychic Abilities, Psychic Bond, subtle clues, warning for the trigger sensitive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-11-04 18:44:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 38,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17903516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headgeekette/pseuds/headgeekette
Summary: Egon Spengler is still having trouble after his fall from the World Trade Center. Even after finally capturing the Boogieman and acknowledging his fear, the trauma still leaves him sleepless. Worse, he starts dreaming of the return of another of his supernatural childhood nightmares. Egon calls on his cousin for help. But will his decision destroy himself, his family, and the ghostbusters in the process?





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fanfic in 12 or so years!
> 
> Special thanks to my bestie for taking the time to edit my work.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Arrival" by Engineer of Sound](https://open.spotify.com/track/7z1DC9WSs0T7Zh2PtH1EHH?si=eCXWA1qURGOyIF7Fy23jdg)

**October 1987. New York City.**

The Ghostbusters were hard at work once again. Dr. Egon Spengler, Dr. Ray Stantz, and Dr. Peter Venkman were dealing with a particularly malicious entity on the rooftop of the World Trade Center. Ray had now named it the one-eyed blue terror, much to Peter's annoyance. The three scientists were getting weary from trying to capture it. As all three Ghostbusters fired, they finally ensnared the ghost within their proton streams.

"We got him!" yelled Peter as he steadied the neutrona wand in his hands. "Hit the trap, Ray!" he ordered.

Ray turned off his stream and reached behind his pack for the trap. He threw it at the ghost, landing it right underneath the entity. "Trap open!" Ray yelled as he stomped on the pedal.

It seemed like the bust would finally be done with. The ghost roared fiercely as it was being sucked down into the device. 

"Bang and you die!" said Slimer as it mimicked blasting the ghost along with the others.

The one-eyed blue terror looked at Slimer and threw an energy ball from its eye. It narrowly missed the green ghost. The attack caught the men off guard and they stopped firing. The ghost threw another ball and hit an area right in front of Egon. The blast sent him right over the edge of the 104-story building. He held on as long as he could, but lost his grip just as Ray and Peter reached him.

Now, Dr. Egon Spengler was falling.

Halfway down to his death, Egon realized something was terribly wrong. It was a scene that had happened before. He knew Winston Zeddemore was flying the Ecto-2. He was supposed to hear the familiar sound of their two-seater autogyrocopter. Any second, Winston should be flying in to save him in a heroic maneuver.

But Winston was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Egon glimpsed something else. A cloud of black smoke was approaching him fast. His eyes grew wide. The entity was familiar to him. One he had not seen in more than fifteen years. He knew its name well. "Maël!" he whispered incredulously. It laughed maniacally. In a few seconds, either the entity will have reached him or he would hit the pavement. Both scenarios terrified the physicist beyond comprehension. Egon gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he awaited the inevitable conclusion.

It never came.

The physicist abruptly sat up from his bed with a strangled cry. Egon had awakened from his nightmare once again. He put his hand on his chest. His heart was racing, almost wanting to burst out of his rib cage. His breathing came fast and ragged.

The same nightmare had been happening for several nights since that fateful evening on the roof of the World Trade Center. The reality was that Winston's excellent flying skills did save him from becoming what Peter described as "street pizza." The near-death experience terrified him. Yet he kept that to himself. It was this intense fear that brought his nemesis, the Boogieman, back into their world. They were finally able to capture the Boogieman after Egon destabilized its molecular structure using a modified proton pack. Egon eventually acknowledged his fear. But trauma doesn't just go away.

It had been a week since the fall, and Egon hardly had a decent night's sleep. The lack of rest was affecting his work. He was making rookie mistakes, like forgetting to calibrate the pack for the ghost they were trying to capture or not checking the traps to see if they have been emptied. Mistakes that endangered the lives of his colleagues. Peter noticed it and asked if Egon was all right. Egon explained that he was still dealing with post-traumatic stress from the incident. He declined Peter's offer for therapy.

Egon closed his eyes and willed his body to calm down, even as he continued to gasp for air. He ran his fingers through his blond, wavy hair as he mumbled to himself. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream."

He finally calmed down and opened his eyes. It was still dark. The room was filled with the sounds of his three sleeping companions, all oblivious to what had just transpired. Egon turned to his bedside table and felt around for his glasses. Once he had them on, his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. He peered at the clock. It was 3:12 A.M. He barely had an hour of sleep this time.

He got out of bed, put on his slippers, and quietly headed towards his laboratory. Egon went straight for his desk and started looking for something. Sheets of paper fell to the floor as he searched. Finally, he found what he was looking for: a Post-It note with a hastily scribbled phone number.

Egon knew of only one other person who was familiar with Maël. But they had lost contact with each other after Egon left Columbia University to pursue his Physics doctorate in MIT. He was only able to track down the person's phone number the previous day. He had been deliberating since then if he should call.

Egon picked up the phone and dialed. The phone rang several times. He waited so long that he was about to hang up when someone finally picked up his call.

"Hello," came a gruff, irritated voice at the other end of the line.

The Ghostbuster cleared his throat. "Hello, Sam."

"Who is this?" came the irritated response.

"It's me. Egon."

Egon heard the sound of Sam's breath catch over the line. "Egon?" came the tentative reply. "How did you get my number?"

"I got it from Uncle Cyrus."

"Uncle Cyrus. Of course." the voice stated matter-of-factly. "I hope he also told you I'm in California and therefore you realize what time it is?"

"I'm sorry. I know it's past midnight there now. If you were about to go to bed—"

"You already have me on the line. What do you want?" snapped Sam.

Egon hesitated. There was something amiss. Sam's voice was raspy and low. "Is everything okay, Sam?"

"Egon, YOU called me. I should be the one asking you that," the answer came testily.

"Yes, well," Egon started. "I've been having this nightmare for several nights now."

"A nightmare. You made a long distance call out of the blue past midnight because of a nightmare."

"I dreamed about Maël, Sam. I think he's coming back."

Egon stopped as he heard Sam suddenly gag and choke over the line. His brow furrowed. "Sam? Are you okay?"

"I'll call you back," came the strangled reply. Then the call was abruptly cut.

Egon gently put the handset back on its cradle. He was worried. _Had I given Sam undue stress by mentioning Maël?_ Egon berated himself for calling. But what's done was done. He will have to wait. He quietly went back to his bed and tried to go back to sleep.

On the other side of the country, a disheveled figure sat on the floor of a dimly lit apartment. The room was in complete disarray. Broken furniture littered the area. Shards of glass from a shattered vase littered one side of the room. The wall behind the bedraggled person was smeared with blood -- blood that dripped from the person's forehead. The same blood that covered the phone. The person drew raspy breaths, coughing every now and then.

"Damn it. This was not what I had in mind," came a hoarse, drained whisper before Sam lost consciousness.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon.

Janine Melnitz was busy encoding case files from the previous day's jobs. The Ghostbusters secretary was so deep in her work that she failed to notice the visitor that had just entered the firehouse.

The woman moved silently despite her heavy leather boots and the huge suitcase she towed behind her. Her long wavy purple hair and ankle-length black trench coat fluttered in a nonexistent breeze. She paused for a moment to look around the garage. Pushing her over-sized round black glasses up the bridge of her nose, she noted the various car and electronic parts that were piled in a messy heap in one corner. She continued to glide towards the secretary's desk as silently as she came in.

If Janine had looked up from her work, she would have noticed that neither woman nor luggage seemed to be touching the floor.

"Excuse me," the woman chirped enthusiastically.

Janine's head snapped up in surprise to meet the visitor's dark brown eyes. "Yes, may I help you?"

"I'm looking for Dr. Egon Spengler," the woman said as she flashed a toothy smile at Janine.

"I'm sorry. He's currently out on a bust with the other Ghostbusters," droned the redhead in her heavy Brooklyn accent. "They might take a while. Why don't you take a seat, Miss—?"

"DOCTOR Blackburn. That's all right. I'll just walk around your garage, if you don't mind." Without waiting for an answer, the woman left her suitcase by the side of Janine's desk and proceeded to walk back to the pile of car parts. The heavy step of her boots echoed through the garage. Janine crinkled her nose. She wondered how she could have missed that sound entering the building. She shrugged and went back to typing.

Dr. Blackburn took a closer look at the pile of metal in the corner. A length of pipe caught her eye. She was about to reach for it when she heard the faint wail of a siren. The sound grew louder. The motorized garage doors slowly opened, letting in the familiar hearse known as Ecto-1 inside. The woman took a step back to hide in the shadows. Her coat helped her blend into the background unnoticed as the vehicle came to a stop.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Peter as he stepped out of the vehicle. "I swear! Next time, I'm not going to agree to being bait!" Peter's uniform was oozing with sticky green ectoplasm. He gingerly walked towards his locker to strip off the slimy jumpsuit.

"Well, you were the only one free," explained Ray as he closed the door on the driver's side.

"Yeah," agreed Winston as he opened the back of the car to bring down their gear. "Egon had to eyeball the trajectory. Ray and I had to hold down the ghost. So that left you to lure him in. Besides, you're the fastest runner." Winston grinned and winked at Ray.

The stranger remained unnoticed as she observed the interactions between the three men. When Egon stepped out of the car, she licked her lips.

"Any messages for me, Janine?" Egon asked as he approached the secretary's desk. He heard hurried thumps echo through the garage.

"None. But there's someone here to see you," said Janine as she pointed at the woman now running towards Egon.

Egon had only enough time to turn around before being pounced on by the visitor. Her forehead just barely touched his chin as she enveloped him in a bear hug. "Egon!" she squealed in delight. She released him from her hug to look up at his face, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!" she babbled.

Janine bristled at the woman.

Egon blinked in confusion. "Wha—what are you doing here?" he asked still stunned by the hug as much as the presence of the woman who gave it.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" she asked, grinning madly.

"Of course I am!" answered Egon. "It's just—I can't believe you're here!"

"Me too!" Egon and the woman turned to face Peter. Peter had turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, and did a double-take when he saw her. He didn't recognize the woman with the brightly colored tresses. Now he stared at her in disbelief as he realized who it was.

"Peter!" she squealed again. She ran up to the psychologist and gave him the same treatment she had just given Egon. Peter froze as her arms went around his torso. "How are you?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.

"I—I'm fine," Peter stammered as he eyed her warily, not daring to return her hug.

The woman caught sight of the others who were standing behind Peter. She released her hold on the Ghostbuster as she eyed the rest of the team. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Egon?" she asked coyly.

"Of course." Egon stepped forward and put his hand on the woman's shoulder. "This is Mr. Winston Zeddemore and Dr. Raymond Stantz."

The woman stepped forward to shake their hands in earnest while repeating their names. She lingered longer with Ray. "Raymond." She let the name roll on her tongue. Her smile disappeared as she stared into his eyes.

The engineer blushed. "Uh, yeah. Hi!" Ray said as she continued to shake his hand. "You can call me Ray." He was suddenly feeling a bit light-headed.

"Ray," the woman repeated low and slow as she continued to scrutinize the man. She held his hand a bit tighter. Then the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

Egon cleared his throat. The woman released Ray's hand and faced Egon. Ray continued to grin, his eyes never leaving her.

"And this is Janine Melnitz, our secretary," Egon said. Janine stood up from behind her desk.

"Ah, yes! We've met," said the woman as she approached Janine and offered her hand to shake.

Janine gingerly shook the woman's hand and gave a rather forced smile. "Yeah, DOCTOR Blackburn and I have met," Janine replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Ghostbusters caught on to Janine's tone. Dr. Blackburn merely giggled.

Janine took back her hand. "So, Dr. Blackburn. Are you Egon's ex or something?" she asked pointedly. 

Egon felt his ears burn.

Dr. Blackburn laughed again. "Oh, no! I'm Egon's cousin. And please. Call me Sam."


	2. Drunk In The Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Drunk In The Morning" by Lukas Graham](https://open.spotify.com/track/3xi7d2yGx09UKMAAr7A3az?si=58flFbq0Rs-ahRHI_icpeA)

**September 1973. Columbia University.**

Samantha Blackburn put down her pencil and rubbed her eyes. She straightened her back and stretched her arms above her head. Sam had been sitting on Egon's bed for six hours now. She was getting tired from drawing up mathematical proofs and double checking them just to make sure everything was correct. She wasn't working on her project though. It was all Egon's.

Egon could normally work out the equations on his own. But lately he had been lacking sleep from working on his engineering project. It was a device that was supposed to detect the presence of psycho-kinetic energy. The device wasn't working as properly as it should. At least, not in a consistent manner. Every time he showed it to Sam, something in the device would overload. Egon found it odd considering he had tested it beforehand and it seemed to be working just fine. Thinking he might have missed something in his equations, he enlisted Sam's help to sort it out.

"In other words, you want me to do quality control," Sam said.

So there she was doing just that.

Sam and Egon were born on the same year with Sam being only a few months older than her cousin. They had been very close since they were kids and practically hit life milestones together. Both had genius-level IQs. Both got their first college degree when most children their age were graduating grade school. Both decided to enroll at Columbia University to obtain their second degrees. But after their first year, Sam was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. She was forced to take two years off to get it under control. By the time Sam returned to the University, Egon was already in his final year of studies.

It was during this time that Egon was finally able to grab one of the largest double rooms in Wallach Hall. He was hoping that he and Sam could share the room. It would have put him in a better position to take care of her in case she had an episode. But the Office of Residential Programs upheld their rule that roommates must be of the same gender. Being relatives was not a good enough reason for an exemption.

Sam ended up staying in Furnald Hall. She was actually glad that she didn't have to stay with Egon. As much as she appreciated having him around, she didn't want to be chaperoned by her cousin. She needed her own space. Alone. Furnald had a reputation for being a quiet location where people usually kept to themselves. This was exactly what she wanted. The solitude would allow her to study in peace as well as give her the privacy she needed. As long as she avoided the basement, everything would be fine.

Sam stretched again and yawned. She hitched up the edge of her sleeve to look at her watch. It was half past one in the morning. She decided she had done more than enough checking for one night. She looked over at Egon working by his desk. Just in time to see him nodding off as he soldered a connection to his device.

"NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!"

Sam practically fell out of the bed as she scrambled to catch Egon just before his face met the hot soldering iron.

Egon woke up with a start. "Hurngh? What?"

"You and I have had enough for tonight." Sam started powering down her cousin's tools. "You should get some sleep." Egon stayed in his chair and yawned as Sam went back to his bed to stow her belongings back into her bag. "I've checked and double checked your equations. Everything is correct so I don't think—"

Sam heard the click of a switch.

"I still need to—" Egon didn't get to finish his sentence as Sam turned off the soldering iron yet again.

"BED, EGON SPENGLER," Sam ordered as she pulled her cousin up to his feet. Egon was a good seven inches taller than Sam. But that didn't stop her from getting him upright and moving towards his bed.

Egon mumbled something incoherently. "Stop complaining," Sam snapped. "You haven't been getting enough rest for days now. Besides, I do not want to be the one to explain to your mother how you managed to burn your face off."

"Is Peter back yet?" asked Egon as he crawled into bed.

When Egon's request to have Sam as his roommate was denied, he asked if he could have the room to himself. That earned him a glare from the officer in charge. Egon then requested that he be paired with another upperclassman. Instead, he ended up with the freshman Peter Venkman.

Sam disliked Peter from the day Egon introduced him to her. She saw him as a flirt who would go after almost every unattached girl on campus. She also was of the opinion that Peter was quite dim. This was after she had learned Peter was taking up Engineering as well. "You see, I've always loved trains," he explained. Sam didn't bother to correct him. She figured Egon would eventually enlighten the boy about what engineering really was about.

"It's the weekend, Egon. He's probably still out partying with his buddies," Sam snorted as she tucked her cousin into bed. "Heck, I shouldn't be here as well. It's the only time I get to sleep early. Instead, here I am making sure you don't end up soldering any body parts to your device."

"I'm sorry," Egon sleepily apologized.

Sam sighed. "No, don't apologize." She took off Egon's glasses and placed them by his bedside table. "I know this is important to you. How can I say no when you request for help?" She gave him a small smile.

"And for that, I'm thankful," Egon mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Sam kissed her cousin on the forehead, then headed for the door.

"Sam," Egon called out. Sam looked over her shoulder. "Thank you again for your time."

Sam gave a slight nod. "Good night, Egon." Then quietly closed the door behind her.

As she walked through the floor's lounge, Sam heard the faint ding of the elevator. The door opened and out stepped the very drunk Peter Venkman. Sam stopped in her tracks. Peter stumbled towards her before he realized she was there. Once he noticed Sam, Peter attempted to stand up straight to greet her.

"Hey there, Sa-a-a-am," Peter slurred. He teetered, then fell forward like a puppet whose strings were suddenly cut.

Peter listened to the heavy footfalls that approached him. Moments later, he glimpsed the familiar thick leather boots just inches away from his face. His mind wandered to question why the woman would wear boots meant for something like construction work.

Sam stood by the side of the fallen student. She wondered whether she should help him get to his room or simply head for the elevator. Peter let out a muffled "I'm okay" as she continued to deliberate on her choices. Would Egon find out if she left Peter in that state? Fate decided for her as she heard the elevator close and move to service another floor. Sam sighed and reluctantly helped Peter to his feet.

"If you throw up on me, I will drop you and leave you to your own devices," warned Sam as she draped Peter's left arm across her shoulders. They then slowly made their way to his room.

"So, where have you been this time, Mr. Venkman?"

"Peter," he corrected. "Why don't you ever call me by name?"

"Because despite my subjective opinion about you, I still need to give you some modicum of respect."

"Fair enough."

They shuffled forward a few more feet before Sam repeated her question.

"Your dormitory!" exclaimed Peter brightly. "Did you know your dorm has this most wonderful bar in the basement?"

"I am well aware of that. Thank you very much." Sam grunted as she adjusted her position to accommodate Peter's weight.

"Heh. You know, you're a lot stronger than you look, Sam."

"And you're a lot heavier than you look."

"Ouch. So much for the modicum of respect."

Sam merely snorted in response.

"So-o-o-o, have you been helping Spengs out with his project again?" Peter asked.

"Don't I always?" Sam managed to reply.

"I don't know. I figured you kids would like some alone time so you can make out. That's why I always leave the room when you're around."

Peter promptly found himself kissing the floor for the second time that night.

Sam glared at Peter. She felt a migraine coming on. "EXCUSE ME?" she remarked in utter disbelief.

Peter made an effort to pick himself up. He leaned against the wall for support and faced Sam. Peter's first thought was that she looked pretty when she was angry. _If only she'd get rid of that hair bun_ , he thought.

"What?" Peter said with a smile. "What's wrong with that? You should be thankful I have the good manners to give you and your boyfriend some privacy."

Sam's eyes grew wide. Her body tensed as she tried hard to keep her composure. Peter could have sworn he heard the picture frame in the hallway rattle.

Sam started to speak with a clenched jaw. "Mr. Peter Venkman. I am not Egon's girlfriend. I am his COUSIN."

Peter's smile slowly disappeared. "Wait. What?" he said in confusion. "But, your last name is Blackburn."

Sam glared at Peter. "Of course my last name is Blackburn, you idiot! That's my dad's! My mother is Egon's aunt!"

The revelation was a light bulb moment for Peter. All this time he thought the two were romantically involved.

Sam bowed her head as she raised her glasses slightly to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her head felt like it was about to explode as she tried to control her temper. She looked up at Peter's face one more time before she turned on her heels and marched towards the elevator.

"Sam, wait!" Peter reached his hand out to grab her shoulder. Instead he grasped at air and fell face down on the floor for the third time.

Sam didn't bother to look back at Peter. "I'm sorry!" came Peter's muffled apology. "I didn't know."

Sam stopped and stood still.

"Sam?"

Sam didn't move except to look at the ceiling.

"Please help me up? My face hurts."

Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The sound of rattling in the hallway slowly disappeared with her headache. She exhaled heavily, opened her eyes, and turned around. She approached Peter and pulled him up to his feet, albeit a lot rougher than Peter expected.

"Ow!" cried Peter as Sam manhandled him into position.

"I don't know why Egon even considers you his friend!" she spat as the two started shuffling once more to their destination.

Sam opened the door to the room as quietly as possible.

"Peter, is that you?" Egon called out sleepily.

Apparently, not quietly enough.

"Yup," grunted Sam.

"He-e-ey, Egon! Good morning!" slurred Peter.

"I see he's drunk again," said Egon.

Sam unceremoniously dumped Peter onto his bed. "Right. Good night, gentlemen."

"Thank you for bringing him in, Sam," said Egon.

"G'night, Sam," came Peter's muffled reply.

Sam slammed the door behind her. Egon blinked then looked at his roommate. "Peter, what did you do to set her off this time?"

Sam leaned back on the door and rubbed the bridge of her nose again. _It's like I'm babysitting!_ she ruefully thought. She brought her hand down and glared at the wall in front of her.

"I think it's time I explored that basement," she muttered to herself.

With that, she started her trip back to her dorm. She was halfway to the elevator when she heard her cousin's voice echo through the hallway.

"You said WHAT?!"


	3. Nice To Meet You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Wentworth (You Don't Know Me)" by Richard Pleasance](https://open.spotify.com/track/6Jc6mB8zyMDFZdxywZeCIk?si=4_c57wcRT6ihE3u_aq76VQ)

**October 1987. Ghostbusters Headquarters.**

It was Egon's turn to store the ghosts in the containment unit and hook up the equipment to recharge. Winston had offered to do it instead, but Egon insisted that the others keep Sam company in the meantime. He needed that time to take in his cousin's sudden appearance. Egon gave Peter a concerned look before heading off to the basement with their gear.

Sam was bubbly and chatty. She talked about herself with no restraint as the rest of Egon's companions accompanied her up to the second floor. She had her arm securely hooked around Ray's. He was absolutely enamored by her. Ray's attention was so concentrated on Sam, he failed to notice that he had run out of steps and almost tripped on the top of the stairs. Ray blushed as he apologized for his clumsiness. Sam chuckled.

Peter continued to keep his distance from Sam.

In the kitchen, Winston started making grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone while the others sat around the table. Ray sat beside Sam while Peter took his place across the table from her.

"What's with the hair?" Peter asked as he motioned at Sam's purple tresses. "I don't recall you being the adventurous type back in college."

Sam gave a bemused smile. "It's not real, Peter!" She proceeded to take off the wig to reveal her dark burgundy hair done up in a French twist.

Peter relaxed a bit. "I see you still like your buns," he smirked. Sam laughed heartily and threw the wig at him.

"I can't believe you and Egon are cousins," said Winston as he started serving the sandwiches and drinks before he seated himself on Peter's right. "You seem too laid back to be a Spengler." Winston looked at Sam. "No offense," he quickly added.

"None taken," said Sam. She grabbed the piping hot sandwich from her plate. "Even Peter thought I was uptight back in Columbia." She looked Peter in the eye. "But you know? Things change. Sometimes you just got to lay back. Relax. Enjoy." Her last words rolled out of her mouth lazily. She looked at Ray and winked.

"You studied at Columbia too?" asked Ray.

Sam took a big bite out of her sandwich. Steam trailed up from the hot melted cheese that oozed out from where she bit. She nodded, chewed a bit, and swallowed effortlessly. "Yup! Three years of Biology. Second degree. Got my degree in Math at the same time Egon got his in Chemistry."

"I guess genius really is genetic in your family," Winston replied as he tried to deal with the piping hot sandwich in his hands. He finally put it down on his plate and waited for it to cool some more.

"Well, it's nice to know Egon had you as a study buddy all those years. What were the odds of two from your family graduating at such a pace?" asked Ray.

"Not really," Sam answered. "Egon was already about to graduate when I started my second degree. I wanted to take a break for a few years after the first one." Sam took another bite.

Peter frowned. "Yeah. I remember when you and I were both freshmen. We had some good times back then. Didn't we, Sam?"

Sam stopped chewing momentarily and looked at Peter. She seemed like she was trying to remember something. She swallowed. "Yes. Good times," she said with a scowl. Then her face brightened up again. "Specially my last day at campus with you. That was really fun, wasn't it, Peter?"

Peter was taken aback. It took a moment for him to recover. He leaned forward on the table. "I remember you suddenly disappearing without saying goodbye. Where did you run off to after Columbia?"

"I went to Edinburgh Uni," she answered brightly. She turned to face Ray again. "I got a couple masters while I was there: Computational Biology, Psychology. Got my Parapsychology PhD there too!"

"Wow! Edinburgh has the best Parapsychology curriculum in the world!" exclaimed Ray.

"You mentioned that your Uncle Cyrus raised you, right?" asked Winston. "It's a miracle he allowed you to take that up! I remember he wasn't so hot about Egon being a Ghostbuster at first," he reminisced.

Sam cackled. "He never even knew!" she exclaimed with a triumphant air. "Besides, what could he do? He's not my dad."

Winston felt uneasy with Sam's flippant reaction.

"So, what are you doing in California?" asked Ray.

"Research," Sam answered. "I moved to UCLA after Edinburgh. Got my doctorate in Biological Physics. Then stayed on at the Molecular Biology Institute after that."

Suddenly, the room was filled with a strange gurgling sound. Slimer, the company's ethereal guinea pig, emerged from the ceiling. The wonderful smell of grilled goodness had caught his attention. Upon seeing the sandwiches, the green blob of ectoplasm started to salivate. _Food! Glorious food!_ The men yelled as Slimer swooped down and started gobbling up the sandwiches from their plates.

Sam stayed calm and collected as she observed the chaos. The ghost was about to grab her half-eaten sandwich. Suddenly, Slimer promptly felt himself forcefully thrown back -- right onto Peter's face. Peter let out a muffled scream. Winston and Ray glanced at each other in surprise.

"SAMANTHA!" Everyone turned to see Egon at the top of the stairs and looking very concerned. He had arrived just in time to witness the spectacle. Egon approached the table, his eyes on his cousin. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry. My fault," Sam said in a glib manner as she raised her hands. "I got startled when that thing tried to take my sandwich." She pointed at the green blob trying to peel itself off Peter.

"Startled?" Egon adjusted his glasses. "Just startled, Sam?"

Sam noticed Ray leaning in towards her with a puzzled expression. She looked straight into his eyes. "See something you like, Ray?" she asked huskily.

Ray blushed a bit and sat back in his chair. Then slowly it dawned on him.

"Telekinesis?" he slowly questioned before his eyes lit up. "You have telekinesis! This is fantastic!" he squealed. "What else can you do? Can you manipulate matter? Can you contain ghosts with a single thought? Can you make things explode?" Ray looked like he was about to explode himself.

"No," Sam answered in a sing-song tone. "I just tend to make things fly." Sam looked back at her cousin. "It's no big deal," she stressed.

The two cousins were locked in a staring contest. Egon tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips. Sam broke off after a few moments and faced Ray again. "I'm also telepathic," she declared.

"This is fantastic!" bubbled Ray as he grabbed the sides of his head. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I can't believe it! This is probably the first case of multiple psychical phenomenon in a single person!"

Sam laughed as she enjoyed Ray's reaction. Egon continued to frown as his mind raced to process what was going on.

"Settle down, Ray," said Peter as he wiped the slime off his face.

"But aren't you excited about this Peter?" Ray asked.

Peter looked at Ray with an air of indifference. "I've seen this before," he shrugged. Peter looked pointedly at Sam. "Like the woman said. It's no big deal."

Peter glanced at Egon before turning his attention back to Sam. "So, what exactly brings you here all of a sudden, Sam?" 

Egon stepped up next to Peter as he waited for Sam's answer.

Sam rubbed her hands together and licked her lips. "Egon called me up last night. Said he needed help with a pesky old ghost. So I dropped everything to join you guys."

"Join us, Sam?" Egon asked in confusion.

"Yeah! You know. Like, become a Ghostbuster!"

The room fell silent as the men were stunned by the announcement. Ray was the first to recover and started babbling excitedly about how thrilled he was to have Sam on board.

Peter got up from his seat. "Could I talk to you in private?" Peter asked Egon. Peter walked towards the rec room with Egon following closely behind.

Peter immediately turned to face Egon and grabbed the scientist's arm. "What's going on, Egon?" he said in a fierce whisper. "What ghost is she talking about? And why are you inviting her to join us without telling us first about it?"

"Peter, I assure you. I'm as dumbfounded as you are," explained Egon. "I kept having nightmares about my fall. But somehow it also included a ghost Sam and I encountered years ago. Around the same time I encountered the Boogieman."

Peter released Egon's arm.

"I did call her last night." Egon walked towards the window and gazed at the street below. "I thought she could help. I never asked her to come over. She never said she was coming over. She said she was going to call me back."

The two fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"I shouldn't have called," Egon finally spoke. "I know I spoke to Sam. At least, I think that was her."

Peter nodded. "Well, that definitely isn't Sam in there. Egon, your cousin is a stickler for protocol. If she said she'd call, she'd do that. Not show up here out of the blue. Besides she's calling me by name! She never called me by name even when we were—" Peter suddenly stopped.

Egon glanced at Peter. "When you were what?"

The psychologist avoided Egon's eyes, waving his hand dismissively. "Nothing. Forget it."

Egon returned his gaze to the window.

"Do you think it's her second persona?" Peter asked.

"Negative. That one was always trying to kill me, remember? This one seems to be Sam. But I agree. Sam was never… bubbly," explained Egon.

"Or this nice," Peter added. "Well, whoever this is, she has to be told she can't be a Ghostbuster."

"Why not?"

Peter screamed and jumped at Sam's voice. Both men sharply turned to face the woman standing right behind Peter. She seemed very pleased with herself.

"How—how long have you been standing there?" wheezed Peter.

"Long enough," answered Sam sweetly. "Ray and Winston had to go down and work on your car." Her smile faded as she fixed her gaze on Peter. "Now tell me again why I can't join your team."

Peter pointed at Sam. "You're unstable! You're a ticking time bomb! You'll be a menace to everyone in the field!"

Sam raised her hand to stop Peter's tirade. "Peter, I am well aware of my mental health issues. Despite that, I've had multiple degrees and several papers published across four different fields of study. I'm one of the leading researchers in UCLA." Sam lowered her hand and put on a beguiling smile. "And I'm still here instead of being in a mental institution. Let's just have a compromise then, eh? Take me on probation. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to California. But if I turn out to be great, and I'm confident I will be, then you'll have to let me join the team."

Peter stared at her. He slumped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh. He looked at Egon.

Egon thought about it. There was something that bothered him at the back of his mind. At any other time, Egon would have put his foot down and said no to the proposal. But right now he needed Sam.

"Fine," was all Egon could say.

"Excellent!" Sam excitedly jumped up and down while she clapped her hands with glee.

"Come on," said Egon. "Let's go downstairs and bring up your luggage."

Sam ran down to the ground floor ahead of Egon. Egon put his hand on Peter's shoulder as reassurance. "I'll take care of this," the physicist said before following his cousin down the stairs.


	4. The Boogieman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Bogeyman" by Johnny Hollow ](https://open.spotify.com/track/7t5caoWLQyWc4gIRGoawJY?si=AbW-JcBOQfutKdpLpfreDA)

**July 1971. Cleveland, Ohio.**

Egon lay in bed as he stared up at the ceiling through the darkness of his bedroom. The light from the waxing moon streamed through the window. In the living room downstairs, the family's grandfather clock ominously struck the time. The boy shifted nervously underneath the covers. Thirty minutes to midnight. Thirty minutes before the creature came out of his closet again.

Ever since he got back from his first year at Columbia for the summer break, Egon had been getting regular visits from a pale goblinesque monster. A creature with yellow eyes and long pointed yellow teeth. It had a nose as long and pointed as the blue hair on its head. The lower half was much like an animal, with cloven hooves and a long tail. The creature called itself the Boogieman. And it would like nothing more than to feed on fear.

But what would a thirteen year old boy fear? Things in Columbia University turned out to be very different from what he experienced while he was taking his first degree. Sam took to the new environment like a duck to water. He had more difficulty. It didn't help that Sam's classes were in different time slots and buildings than his. Plus the fact that he and Sam were assigned to different freshmen dorms. The struggle to fit was so bad, he ended up bringing home an A-minus. His parents didn't talk to him for a week after he came home.

That's when it appeared.

Egon was so afraid that his parents would never talk to him again. His anxiety was what attracted the Boogieman to him. When it first appeared, Egon tried to control how he felt. But it only made his anxiety worse. The more Egon tried to hold back his terror, the more terrified he became. The vicious cycle of emotions was like a perpetual buffet for the Boogieman. It soon became a regular visitor.

Egon couldn't tell his parents. They've already started talking to him again. Telling them about a monster in his closet might make them start ignoring him once more. So he confided in Sam instead.

Sam dismissed it at first as well. "You've been working late on your projects again," she reasoned. "It's probably just lack of sleep. Your brain is playing tricks on you already."

"I'm telling you, Sam. It's real!" insisted Egon. "I'm not making this up! Look, read my mind. You'll see it's real!"

Sam was six years old when her family got involved in a tragic car accident. Her parents were killed instantly. She was trapped in the car for an hour. Screaming. Crying. Bleeding. Trying to wake her parents up. By the time rescuers got her out of the massive wreck she was unconscious and barely alive. Her recovery was slow and painful. Eventually she went home under the care of her uncle Cyrus Spengler who became her legal guardian.

Egon was her constant companion as she recovered from the trauma. At night they would sleep together in the same bed with Sam snuggled up to him. Sam would scream herself awake from nightmares of the accident and would be almost inconsolable after that. It was always the same dream: She's falling. She hits the ground hard. She sees her parents and crawls towards them. She tries to wake them up but they never do.

All Egon could do was to cradle her and hold her hand to calm her down.

One night, as Egon held Sam's hand, he noticed how different his room was. It seemed strange; like a hazy memory. It turned out it was exactly that.

Sam had somehow formed a telepathic link between them.

The girl soon figured out how the link worked. It enabled her to enter Egon's mind and let Egon enter hers. They saw each others memories as rooms. Time passed differently when they were linked. They could talk for what seemed like hours when in reality only a few minutes have passed.

Sam could only link with Egon though and only when they held hands. Not wanting any further attention from her elders, Sam asked her cousin to keep it a secret from the rest of the family.

Egon needed Sam to believe that the Boogieman was real. His persistence paid off. Sam held his hand and peered into his memories. She found herself in Egon's bedroom. As the clock struck midnight, the creature emerged from the boy's closet. It was a hideous thing! Its demonic laugh filled the room. Sam could see how scared Egon was. The Boogieman was all too real to her cousin. But she still couldn't discount the possibility of a false memory.

Sam needed to see it for herself. It so happened that Independence Day weekend was approaching. She was spending the holiday with Egon's family. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Egon blinked. "Sam?" he whispered, though loud enough to be heard across the room.

On the other side of the room was Sam. She sat up on the Murphy bed with her arms around her knees. Three years prior, Egon's parents decided it was time for Sam to have her own bed during her frequent sleepovers. They soon learned it was a wasted effort since both cousins would be found still sleeping in one bed come morning.

"Are you still awake?" asked Egon.

"Yes, I am."

Sam looked around the dimly lit room. Egon's chemistry set was set up in one corner. Earlier he showed off a batch of rocket fuel he mixed for the Independence Day celebration. In another corner was Egon's pride and joy: his first working combustion engine which he built when he was six years old.

The grandfather clock struck midnight. Sam looked back at Egon's bed. Egon had hid underneath his blanket. Then something caught her eye. She turned to look at the closet. Bright light escaped the edges of the door. It slowly creaked open. A low menacing laugh filled the room.

"Hide, Sam!" came Egon's plea from under the covers.

The closet door flung wide open revealing the full glory of the monster that was the Boogieman. The light coming from his dimension framed his huge form. Despite the strong back-light, the being's twisted grin could be seen clearly. Its blood red lips pulled back to reveal its jagged yellow teeth. Sam could smell the sulfuric odor of its breath.

Sam's heart beat faster. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and clutched the edge of the mattress. _It's real! The Boogieman is real!_

The monster scanned the room. Its red pupils dilated at the sight of Sam. "It looks like little Egon is not alone this time," came the monster's grating voice. The Boogieman eyed Sam intently. "You have a special fear as well."

Sam made no reply. She simply stared back at the horror before her while barely daring to breathe.

"Such deep seated fears you have there, my dear." The monster leered at her. "Afraid of losing Egon? Don't worry, little one. I intend to keep him around for much longer." The monster looked away and started towards Egon's bed. Its teeth seemed to grow longer with every step he took. "But for now, I feast!" The Boogieman laughed maniacally.

Egon trembled underneath the covers. The Boogieman fed on the boy's fear. The monster immediately grew a few inches taller.

Sam's terror was overcome by the need to protect her cousin. She jumped off her bed and ran to block the Boogieman's path to Egon. She stood defiantly with her clenched fists positioned at her sides. "Leave him alone!"

The monster snarled.

"Who will stop me? You?" The Boogieman laughed. "I will leave when I am sated!" The monster struck Sam with a powerful backhand causing the girl to fall to the side and hit her head hard on the foot of the Murphy bed.

Sam groaned. The girl clutched the edge of the bed as she pulled herself up. She felt dizzy. She closed her eyes as she tried to overcome the searing pain from where she hit her head. She could hear Egon's pleas to the Boogieman to leave him alone. The monster continued to laugh.

Sam became enraged. She opened her eyes and looked at the monster now standing over the boy's bed.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she screamed.

A strong pulse of energy surged through the room like a shock wave from a small explosion. The Boogieman stopped to regain his balance.

Sam's headache intensified. Her hand went to her head. She grit her teeth as she began to tear up from the pain.

The Boogieman grimaced and narrowed its eyes at her. "What did you do, little girl?" he questioned, his voice dark and feral.

Sam glared at the monster. Without thinking, she hissed at the Boogieman. "Leave."

The Boogieman felt another shock wave. It was stronger and more focused. Strong enough to push him back a step. The Boogieman growled.

"Leave!"

The Boogieman shrunk in size as he faltered and tripped backwards. He gave a guttural roar, his nostrils flaring.

"LEAVE!"

As if blown away by a strong wind, the Boogieman tumbled head over heels back into the closet.

"NOOOOO!" it screamed as the portal closed. The room was thrust back into quiet darkness.

Sam once again fell to the floor crying. Her head felt like someone cracked open her skull and set her brain on fire. She curled up into a fetal position, clutching her head in the process. Seconds later she felt arms wrapped around her. 

Egon had gotten out of his bed to be by her side. "I got you," he whispered over and over again as he gently rocked her back and forth. He held her until Sam finally stopped crying. "Are you feeling better now?"

Sam sniffled and slowly uncurled herself. She sat up on her own and wiped the tears from her face. The searing pain in her head had been replaced by a light, dull throb. "Yeah. I'm better now. I think."

Egon looked at his cousin in fascination. "How did you do that?"

Sam shook her head and immediately wished she hadn't done so. She rubbed the side of her head with her hand. "I don't know. That's a first for me."

"Can you do it again?"

Sam thought for a moment. She concentrated on duplicating the phenomenon. Nothing happened. "I'll have to figure out how that happened. Maybe there's a set of variables that need to come into play like with my telepathy." She continued to think of possible theories. Then she yawned.

"Come on. Let's go to bed." Sam slowly got up without Egon's help. Egon stayed kneeling on the floor. Sam looked down at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "Something wrong, Egon?"

Egon avoided eye contact. "I'm still scared, Sam. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'll just end up thinking about the Boogieman until the sun is up."

Sam offered her hand to Egon. "I think I can still help you with that."

Egon looked up at her. "Are you sure you're still up for it?" Sam nodded. Egon took her hand and let her help him up from the floor. The two cousins sat on Egon's bed. Sam's hand still held Egon's.

"Ready?" she asked.

Egon found himself alone and standing in the middle of his room. The Murphy bed was folded up. He walked to his window and noticed there was no moon. He looked around the room. There was no sign of the rocket fuel he made. The wall calendar was dated a couple of weeks back. He remembered now. This was the memory of the first visit of the Boogieman.

The clock struck midnight. A bright light seeped from behind his closet door. Egon held his breath as the door began to open.

"Stop." Sam's disembodied voice floated through the room. "Let's do that again."

The scene repeated itself. The clock struck midnight. A bright light seeped from behind his closed door.

"Again," came Sam's stern voice. "Concentrate on nothing happening."

The exercise was repeated several times. Each time Egon began to see the light, Sam would stop him, remind him to concentrate, and do it all over again.

Finally, the clock struck midnight and nothing happened.

"Open the closet door, Egon," came Sam's disembodied voice. Egon hesitated. "Go on. Open it," she encouraged.

Egon timidly approached the closet door. His hand trembled as he reached for the knob. He took a deep breath and opened it. All he saw were his clothes. Egon closed the door.

Egon found himself looking into Sam's eyes. He was back in his real room.

Sam smiled at him. "Congratulations. You just created a false memory."

"But it's not gone, right?" asked Egon.

Sam nodded. "You just won't remember what it looked like. But it's not permanent. The correct trigger would most likely bring back those memories. Hopefully if and when that happens you'll be able to handle it better."

Egon looked at his closet door. "Will that thing come back?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. I hope not. It's not like I sealed a portal or something."

Egon nodded. "I should research this. Find out how to stop this thing permanently."

Sam smiled. "Good luck with that." She yawned again. She stood up. Then immediately sat back down. "Whoa."

"Are you okay, Sam?" Egon worried.

"Just got dizzy again."

"I think you should stay in my bed tonight," Egon suggested. Sam silently nodded.

The two took their positions on Egon's bed. Egon tucked himself in while Sam preferred to sleep on top of the covers. Sam snuggled up to Egon as she had always done since her accident. The two promptly fell asleep.

Outside their window something was cackling in glee. It had been observing them the whole time. It exclaimed in utter excitement as it zoomed away from the house.

"Perfect! So absolutely perfect!"


	5. I Think We're Alone Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["I Think We're Alone Now - Epic Trailer Version" by Hidden Citizens](https://open.spotify.com/track/0DzjPX1AedYSmIyRIOoOhN?si=wtnmcfzOR0mkDfND7jhEEw)

**October 1987. Ghostbusters Headquarters.**

"Here you go." Egon set down Sam's luggage to the left of his bed. Sam stood at the doorway as she surveyed the bunk room.

"So, this is where you all sleep?" she asked as she slowly made her way towards Egon.

"Yes." One by one he pointed out the beds and who they belonged to.

Sam lazily strode to Egon's side. She clung to his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "And where will I be sleeping?

"I'll fix up the couch in the rec room. I'm sorry. We don't have a guest room. Had I known you were coming over I could have made arrangements for a hotel. Don't worry. I'll take care of that tomorrow."

Sam frowned. "We're not sharing your bed?"

Egon looked down at his cousin. "I thought you no longer liked to do that?"

Sam moved to wrap her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "What do you mean? We did that in college."

"Yes," Egon said tentatively. "But that was different. You got stuck in my dorm because of a snow storm. Otherwise you always wanted to go back to Furnald no matter how late it was."

Sam further pressed her body against his and sighed. "Things change, Egon. I would very much like it if you keep me company in bed. For old time's sake."

Egon felt uneasy. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around Sam's shoulders and gently hugged her. "All right. If that's what you want."

Sam looked up at him. Her face beamed with happiness. "That is definitely what I want!"

"Okay then." Egon patted the woman's shoulders. "Come on. I'll show you my lab."

Sam let go of Egon's waist, clutched his arm once again, and happily followed him out of the bunk room.

In his lab, Egon showed Sam his research, inventions, and various other experiments. The woman listened but seemed somewhat distracted.

A 6- by 8- by 14-inch device with black and yellow warning tape caught her attention. She picked it up from the work table with both hands, gauging its weight. "What's this thing?"

Egon came to her side. "That's a ghost trap. I just repaired that one since it got damaged during one of our busts."

Sam handed the trap to Egon. "Show me how it works." Egon started to launch into the technical aspects of the device when Sam interrupted him. "I didn't say tell me how it works. I said, show me."

Egon stared at her for a moment, then nodded once. He went to another table to grab the release cable. Then returned to begin his demo.

"You snap this cable onto the trap like so. Then you throw the trap as close to the ghost as possible." Egon threw the trap out in front of him. "It helps if you just let it slide towards the ghost to avoid getting the trap damaged. To open the trap, just stomp on this pedal. Careful now! Don't look at the trap too long. The light may eventually blind you."

Egon stomped on the pedal. He immediately averted his eyes as a cone of light shot out from the open trap and brightly illuminated the room. Sam stared at it, unblinkingly observing with great interest.

"To close the trap, just take your foot away from the pedal," Egon instructed as he did so.

Sam watched as the trap closed. "And there's no way to get them out of there anymore? Like, they're trapped there forever?"

"It's only temporary," answered Egon as he went to pick up the device. "The trap serves as transport until we transfer the ghost into the ecto-containment unit downstairs."

"Ah. So there's no other way to release the ghost then."

"Actually, there is. Just adjust this knob to reverse the polarity and step on the pedal to release the ghost. Though sometimes dropping the full trap on the floor at the right angle causes the same effect. We try not to do that too often since it damages the trap obviously." Egon placed the trap back on the table.

"Obviously," Sam muttered, still looking at the trap.

"Oh, there's something else I want to show you." Egon walked to his blackboard. His arm swept across the equations written on it. The physicist went on to explain what he was trying to do with one of his experiments. "I've gone over these equations several times. But the numbers just don't seem to fit. It would be nice to have a fresh set of eyes to go over these."

Sam came near and stared blankly at the board. She frowned. "Can't Ray help you with this?"

Egon shrugged. "I'm afraid math isn't Ray's best subject."

Sam squinted at the writing. Her eyes scanned the numbers. Her expression then relaxed. She yawned and turned away from the board. "It looks fine to me," she said flatly as she went back to the ghost trap.

Egon's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you going to draw up the proofs?"

"Hmm?" Sam reacted absent-mindedly as she picked up the trap again. "Oh. Well. Yeah, sure. I can do that later."

Egon stared at Sam. He adjusted his glasses. "Sam, is there something wrong?"

The alarm sounded through the firehouse. Egon swore under his breath at the inopportune timing. Sam put down the trap and looked at him. "Looks like you're needed," she said.

"I've got to go," Egon said. "We'll talk again when I get back." He rushed to the nearest pole and slid down to the ground floor.

Sam followed suit. She stood at the base of the pole as she observed the hurried motions of the men. The Ghostbusters quickly loaded their gear into the car. In two minutes, the Ecto-1 was out of the building with its siren blaring.

Sam waited as the garage door slowly closed. She then turned her attention to the secretary's desk. Janine was once again busy with her paperwork, completely oblivious of the woman staring at her.

Sam's lips parted. Her left hand rose to stroke her throat. She closed her eyes and began to use her telepathy to feel out the different energies within the building. There was the anger of spirits trapped in the basement. The stress emanating from Janine. The ravenousness from Slimer hovering about the second floor kitchen. But it was something at the third floor that made her breath hitch. A presence she had not felt in years. She licked her lips.

Sam opened her eyes. She focused on Janine once more. She tilted her head to the side, examining the secretary with great interest. Sam had noticed Janine's reaction earlier when she greeted Egon. _This will be fun_ , she thought.

Janine stopped typing as she suddenly felt light-headed. Her complexion paled and she broke out in a cold sweat. Janine could feel her muscles quivering. She started to hyperventilate as she hung on to the edge of the desk with an iron grip.

Sam effortlessly broke into Janine's memories. She was amused by the amount of baggage the woman carried. _So much concern over the pettiest of things_ , Sam sneered as she broke into every memory she came across.

Janine's eyes began to water. Her breathing became even more labored. 

Sam came upon another memory. _Dealing with a Makeoveris Lotsabucks now, aren't we? Why I haven't seen one in over two hundred years! Very interesting!_

Janine leaned forward from her seat and grabbed her head with both hands. It felt like someone was splitting her skull wide open. She moaned in pain.

Sam continued to hack and slash through Janine's mind, still searching for the reason why the secretary was so sharp-tongued earlier. A maniacal grin was now plastered on her face. She began to breathe heavily. The hand at her throat slid down to start kneading her breast. Her other hand reached between her thighs. _So much fun!_ She finally came across across a rather highly protected memory. The woman's pupils dilated into glowing orbs of red. She was so close.

At that moment, Janine screamed.

Sam's grin was replaced with a scowl. Her hands quickly dropped to her sides. The glow from her eyes disappeared as she released her hold on the redhead. But not before seeing the contents of the last memory she had ripped into. It might be useful to her later. Right now, she was more annoyed by the noise Janine made.

Sam caught sight of Slimer popping out from the ceiling. The ghost had heard Janine scream. Sam strode towards the secretary.

"Janine," Sam said coolly as she put her hand on the secretary's back. "Are you all right?"

The pain in Janine's head left as suddenly as it came, leaving behind a dull ache. She felt the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Sit up, Janine," ordered Sam. Janine followed as she tried to catch her breath. "Let me get you some water, dear." Moments later, Sam was helping Janine take a sip of the cold water from a paper cup.

"Thanks, Sam," Janine said after she emptied the cup.

"What happened?" Sam asked as she bent forward.

"I don't know. I just felt weird. Then it felt like someone took an ax to my head."

"Do you need any medication?"

Janine shook her head slowly.

Sam nodded. "It's probably stress. Why don't you take a break?"

Janine had stopped trembling and color was returning to her face. "No, it's okay. I think I'll be fine."

Sam looked at Janine with half-lidded eyes. "If you say so." She straightened up. "I'll have to leave you for a while. I need to unpack my luggage. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Sam patted Janine's shoulder before looking at the hovering ghost. "Keep an eye on her. Don't leave her side, okay?" Slimer nodded and gave a salute.

"Call me if anything else happens," Sam added as she went up the stairs.

The woman snickered as she reached the third floor. Sam hadn't counted on Janine screaming so early. She had wanted to play some more but had overestimated the secretary's pain tolerance. Nevertheless, it worked itself out after all. With Janine and Slimer out of the way, she was free to continue her plan.

Sam entered the lab, closed the doors, and leaned against them. Sam purred as she remembered Janine's moans. She could still feel the wetness between her thighs. She made a mental note to get that woman to moan again.

Sam looked around, rubbing her hands together. The woman walked through the lab slowly. As she passed a large desk, she stopped. Then came back to the desk. She started searching its drawers. Finally, Sam found what she had been looking for. Nestled in one drawer was a familiar metal lock box.

Sam cackled. She started jumping and clapping her hands. With a gleam in her eyes, she reached for the box.

Then Sam was promptly thrown across the room, slamming hard against the wall. She fell to the floor unconscious.

A minute later her eyes fluttered open. "Where the fuck am I?" she muttered. She blearily scanned the room. "This isn't my office."

Sam finally saw familiar handwriting on the blackboard. Then she caught sight of the box that had fallen to the floor.

"Oh, no. Egon!" she whispered before losing consciousness again.


	6. Don't Close Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Don't Close Your Eyes" by Sam Tinnesz](https://open.spotify.com/track/2mfTkgZHzJ0QUHDxoE6jum?si=M-6UxYzLReC-FiR6IMAgDA)

_Everything hurts._

That was Sam's first thought as she slowly regained consciousness again. She moved a bit and winced. Her fingers clawed at cotton sheets. She tried to move again and realized her movements were restricted by something draped over her body.

Sam tried to open her eyes, only to close them tightly as she felt a stinging sensation.

She pursed her lips. Despite feeling sore, Sam began to kick away the blanket. She pulled it away from her body as soon as she had an arm free. She gave a pained hiss.

There was the sound of a chair being dragged on the floor. Then footsteps. With eyes still closed, Sam attempted to sit up. Her limbs trembled. Her head began to ache. She was then aware of a pair of hands on her shoulders.

"Easy now," Egon said as he gently but firmly pushed her back into the bed. He reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor.

"Am I in the hospital?" Sam asked hoarsely.

"No, you're in my bed," Egon replied as he started to tuck her in once more.

"Then you know better than to put that thing on me again."

Egon stopped to look at Sam's face. He sighed and proceeded to fold down the blanket to the foot of his bed.

"Oh, good. Grumpy ol' Sam is back again."

Sam frowned. _Great. Mr. Venkman_ , she thought.

"How long was I out, Egon?" Sam inquired.

"Three hours since we left the hospital."

Sam brought her right hand to her head and pressed the ball of her hand against her temple. "Why wasn't I confined?"

"You were awake and doing fine."

"Fuck." Sam clenched her jaw and breathed through her intensifying headache.

"Sam?"

"I'm fine!" snapped Sam. "Just… Give me a moment."

Sam continued to breathe heavily until the ache started to subside. "Egon. Minutes, please? Last I remember I was on the floor of your office."

"Still detail-obsessive. That's a good sign." Sam ignored Peter's remark.

"Janine found you unconscious in my lab around 4pm. She called for an ambulance when she couldn't wake you up. The guys and I arrived at the hospital at 4:50. You were awake and very bubbly. It was as if nothing happened to you. You were released at 6 pm. On the way back here you fell asleep. You were still asleep when we got here so I carried you up and tucked you in my bed. It's now—" Egon paused to look at his watch. "Exactly 9:11 in the evening."

Sam grunted as her headache returned.

"Man, that's like the reports we'd give at boot camp," she heard someone say.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" asked Egon.

Sam felt a weight settle at the foot of the bed. "Like I fell off a ten-foot drop. I've got a growing headache." Her stomach rumbled.

"Come on! Get over that headache and tell us what happened in Egon's lab."

Sam opened her eyes and glared at the man seated on the bed. "WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, MR. VENKMAN?" she exploded. Sam's headache surged at that moment causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. She curled up into a ball. Her breath sawed in and out through her clenched teeth. Both hands now gripped her head as she rode out the pain.

The beds in the room began to wobble.

Sam felt someone hug her tightly. "I got you," mumbled Egon over and over again as he gently rocked her.

The pain finally subsided. Egon let go of her as he felt her body relax. Egon waited until Sam lay on her back again.

"Sam."

"Yes, Egon?"

"Peter hasn't spoken a word since you woke up."

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Egon. His brow was wrinkled and he bit his lip. She slowly turned her head towards Peter seated at the foot of the bed. She noticed two other men standing behind him. The three stared at her incredulously.

"What did you hear me say, Sam?" asked Peter.

Sam covered her face with her hands and groaned. She mumbled something unintelligible.

"What did she say?" asked Ray.

"'I can't believe this is happening'," translated Egon.

Sam mumbled something again. 

"That was Ray Stantz. The one next to him is Winston Zeddemore," replied Egon.

"She doesn't know us?" asked Winston.

"We'll explain later," said Peter.

Sam's stomach rumbled once more. She put her hands to her sides and stared up at the ceiling. "I need to eat."

"All right. I'll go bring up dinn—What are you doing?" Egon quickly moved to stop Sam from sitting up.

Sam swatted his hands away. "I need to eat."

"I heard that. So just stay here and I'll go bring up your dinner."

Sam struggled against Egon to sit up. Egon still handled her gently, fearing he'd injure her further. Sam eventually succeeded, her feet feeling the cold floor.

"Sam."

"You're not leaving me with Mr. Venkman."

Egon went around the bed to get to Sam's side. "Then Peter will get your dinner."

Sam threw Peter a disparaging look. "Are you kidding me?"

"Hey! I can cook!" Peter defended himself.

"You couldn't cook an egg if you tried," Sam argued.

"Enough!" Egon was losing his patience. "Sam. Stay here."

Sam turned her head to glare up at her cousin. She set her jaw and slowly stood up, limbs trembling as she did.

Peter, Ray, and Winston could feel the tension in the room as the cousins stared each other down. Peter finally stood up and put his hand on Egon's shoulder. Egon looked at Peter. Peter nodded. Egon's expression relaxed and he sighed.

Egon looked back at Sam. "All right. At least let me assist you."

Sam pressed her lips together and slowly nodded.

Egon went to get Sam a pair of slippers for her to use. Peter moved to get Sam's glasses from Egon's bedside table when Sam stopped him. "I can still see. I just have trouble hitting a bull's eye at twenty feet."

With that, Sam slowly shuffled out of the room and down the stairs with Egon by her side.

Sam slouched over the table, laying her head in her arms. She had requested for mushroom soup. Egon had asked if she wanted something more filling, but she insisted soup would be enough. In hindsight, she remembered her cousin's beloved collection of spores, molds, and fungi. She secretly hoped he didn't use any of it to make her dinner.

_Clearly I did not think that through._

Egon set the steaming bowl in front of her. He took the seat next to his cousin and gently tapped her shoulder.

Sam slowly raised her head to peek at the bowl. Then sat up straight. She took the spoon to the soup and sipped a bit of the liquid. "It's too hot," she mumbled and started to stir the soup to cool it down.

"What happened to your hair?" Sam asked.

"Hmm?" 

Sam glanced up at Egon's hair. "It's all gloriously puffy and blond. Last I saw you it was wire straight and dark."

"Oh. Uhm. Mushroom accident."

Sam stared at him before staring suspiciously at her soup.

"Don't worry. That's Campbell's," assured Egon.

Sam nodded and was silent once again. They sat in companionable silence for some time.

Sam finally started having her dinner. Egon waited for Sam to have a few spoonfuls of the soup.

"Sam, do you remember what happened in my lab?"

Sam left the spoon in the bowl and looked at her dinner. "I just woke up there."

Sam sat back on her chair and crossed her arms. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Well, since I'm already here, might as well you tell me about your dream."

Egon hesitated.

"Egon, tell me about your dream," she repeated in a monotonous, firm voice.

Egon leaned back on his chair. "We had an accident some weeks back. We were trying to bust a ghost at the top of the World Trade Center. I fell off the roof." Sam flinched. "Winston was able to save me. Since then I've been dreaming about the accident. But it's different."

Egon began to rub the back of his neck. "Instead of Winston, I saw Maël coming for me. I always wake up before I could find out what happens next."

Egon looked at Sam. She had not moved at all. She breathed slow and rhythmically.

Finally, she moved to turn her attention back to her soup. "False memory. Most likely caused by your trauma," she said before she slurped her dinner.

Egon blinked rapidly. "How do you know it's a false memory? How are you sure it's not Maël coming back and manifesting itself in my dreams?"

"He can't. Impossible," Sam said dismissively as she continued to have her soup.

"How can you say that's impossible? Sam we've had cases before of ghosts manifesting in people's dreams."

Sam briefly clenched her free hand. "It is impossible for Maël to manifest."

"You've been wrong before. You thought the Boogieman was a false memory."

"Maël cannot manifest," Sam repeated, her voice rising.

Egon scowled. "Sam, I don't think you understand—"

Sam slammed her palms on the table. "No! You don't understand!" she yelled. She looked Egon straight in his eyes. "Maël is contained. It's impossible for him to manifest."

Egon's mouth fell open. He began to stammer. "What do you mean he's contained?"

Sam looked back into her half-empty bowl. Her hand raked through her hair. "The box I gave you." She closed her eyes and let her hand rest on the table.

It took a few moments for Egon to understand what Sam was trying to say. "Are you saying Maël is in that box?" he asked slowly.

Sam nodded silently.

Egon didn't know what to say. He stared at his cousin who was still tight lipped and refused to look at him. Finally, he stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

Sam listened to her cousin leave. She opened her eyes when she no longer heard his footsteps. Sam stared at her bowl and decided she had lost her appetite.

She replayed the scenario that had just happened upstairs. "Shit. I heard Venkman," Sam muttered to herself. "What did you do earlier? Whose mind did you fuck up this time?" 

She folded her arms on the table and laid her head on them once more, groaning as she did so. She wished she could cry.

_Just give in to me._

Sam's head snapped back up. She sat up straight as her eyes went wide. Her breath quickened. She quickly looked around, trying to figure out if something was out of place. Finally she pinched herself hard on her left arm. She relaxed a bit when she realized she was still awake. She planted her hands on the table and stood up.

"Never," she whispered. "I'm not going down without a fight"

Sam hobbled painfully out of the kitchen. As she headed for the stairs, she found Egon asleep on the couch. "And when I go down, I'm taking you with me."

Cruel laughter echoed in Sam's brain.

Sam entered the bunk room to find the rest of the Ghostbusters snoring soundly. She headed straight for her luggage. She silently thanked whatever higher power existed when she saw the Columbia University sticker on the suitcase. It was the grab-and-go case she had always left by the entrance of her California apartment. _Looks like the risk paid off_ , she thought. She knelt down and quietly opened it so as not to wake the others. 

Her eyes were still burning. She blinked several times, as she looked through the contents of the suitcase, then felt around its walls. She sighed in relief as she noted everything was still in order. She reached for her first aid kit. She took out the bottle of eye drops, applied a few drops to her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt immediate comfort from the pain.

She put the bottle back in the kit and started searching for something else. "Fuck you, Volign," she mumbled when she realized that her amphetamines were missing. She continued to look through her kit. "You even took out my caffeine pills." She briefly thought of going back to the kitchen to make coffee, but she didn't know where they kept the supplies. 

Sam ran her hand through her hair. She wouldn't be able to stay awake. She closed up the kit and put it back in its place. She then grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt and shorts to change into. She closed the suitcase, then got up and headed for the bathroom. 

Several minutes later, Sam stared up at the ceiling from Egon's bed. She listened to the sounds of Peter, Ray, and Winston as they slept. Her eyes grew heavy. "I need another plan," Sam whispered as sleep finally won her over.

Sam's eyes dulled just before they closed. A minute later, her eyes opened again. She smiled and sat up. She reached for the blanket at the foot of the bed, tucked herself in, and rolled to her side. She hummed as she closed her eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Real Ghostbusters" (Marvel UK) comic issue #020, explains why Egon's hair had turned from brown to blond. And yes. It was a mushroom accident, thanks to Slimer.
> 
> If you'd like access to these comics, you can twitter DM me @headgeekette so I can give you the link.


	7. Hypothesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Second Guessing" by Joe Trufant](https://open.spotify.com/track/1mCMT8NQm7jyqziBmClrez?si=Oh8L-ruQR226I0l9HxEfIA)

Peter sauntered lazily into the kitchen for breakfast. He was still in his pajamas and couldn't stop yawning. The psychologist went straight for the coffeepot and poured himself a mug. The smell of caffeine cleared his sleep-addled mind somewhat. 

"Good morning, Peter!" Ray greeted with his usual enthusiastic self. The engineer was already dressed for work and busy cooking breakfast. It smelled of eggs and pancakes.

Peter mumbled a greeting. He downed his coffee, refilled his mug, and went to take his place at the table.

Winston, who was also dressed for work, was already seated and reading the newspaper.

Peter yawned again. "Anyone seen Egon?"

"He's up in his lab as always," answered Winston. "How's Sam?"

"She's still asleep," answered Peter.

The three Ghostbusters had been getting ready for bed the previous night when they heard Sam yelling at Egon. They found it best to just let them be rather than go down to investigate.

"I doubt she'll be out and about today," Egon declared as he entered the room.

"Hey there, big guy! Glad you could join us," Peter greeted.

Egon filled his mug with coffee before joining the other two at the table.

"Chow time, folks!" Ray came and served breakfast. It looked like pancakes. Or scrambled eggs. Peter hoped whatever it was wouldn't kill him.

Egon poked at his plate with a fork. "I'm baffled with what you just made here, Ray."

"It's an experiment!" replied Ray. His eyes were all aglow. "I call it scrambled pancakes! I make the scrambled eggs first. Then as they cook, I pour in the batter."

Peter and Winston watched as Egon took a stab at the rather unappetizing-looking dish. He brought a small piece to his mouth and started chewing. Moments later, Egon slowly put down his fork, calmly stood up, and headed for the bathroom. By the time Egon came back, the forsaken dish was gone. Winston was now cooking a new batch of breakfast. Ray sulked in his seat at the table.

"So, Egon."

"Yes, Peter?"

"Sam hasn't changed. Still has a pair of lungs that can wake up the dead. Even scared Slimer out of the building. It's amazing you two still slept in the same bed last night."

Egon sighed. "We didn't. I ended up sleeping on the couch. I don't even know how she got upstairs."

Peter put down his fork. "You mean she went up by herself? In her condition?"

"I had to step out and think after our talk. I didn't expect to fall asleep on the couch." Egon started to eat.

"Okay. Care to tell us what you and Sam discussed last night?" asked Peter.

Egon swallowed first before answering Peter. "I found out that I have been in possession of what is potentially a class three non-repeating malevolent full-roaming vapor for the past fifteen years."

Peter, Ray, and Winston stopped eating and stared at Egon.

"Run that by me again?" asked Winston.

"I found out that I have been in possession of what is potentially a cla—"

"Okay, Egon," interrupted Peter. "First of all, where is this thing?"

"Remember that lock box in my lab?"

"It's in there?" asked Ray.

Egon nodded.

"Wait. Is this the same box Sam gave you? That same box I've seen you hiding away back in Wallach?" asked Peter.

"The same one."

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right. Sam shows up unannounced. Gets knocked out in your lab. You find out you have a ghost in a box—"

"Demon."

Peter's head whipped towards Egon. His mouth fell open as he stared at the man beside him. "I'm sorry. I could have sworn you just said demon."

"I was taking readings of the box this morning. For some reason the PKE meter could hardly pick up anything. So I had to focus the spectral differentializer on it to get some reading," explained Egon.

"Some reading?" quizzed Winston. "You mean you're not getting a full reading of the thing?"

"Precisely. Whatever Sam did to that box, it was powerful enough to mute the PKE emissions. I can only speculate it to be at least a class three. But other signatures, however faint they were, definitely point out the possibility that this may well be a demon."

"Hold on now. I'm getting confused," said Ray. "How did Sam catch a demon? And why did she give it to you? Do you two have some sort of history with this thing?"

"Yeah, man. What's going on?" asked Winston.

Egon drew a deep breath before he started.

"Back in 1971, Sam and I encountered this demon. For some reason it figured that I would be an acceptable vessel. I remember hearing its voice. It was deep. Grating. Think Boogieman but far more malevolent and terrifying. And the smell of sulfur was enough to choke the air out of me. It introduced itself as Maël."

"When it attempted to possess me, I couldn't see anything or even move. Then I felt a sudden rush of heat and pain. I woke up in the hospital. A rocket I was working on at that time had blown up and I got thrown back several yards. I survived with a broken arm and second-degree burns. I stayed in the hospital for several days. Sam was lucky. Her injuries were minor."

Egon took a sip of his coffee before he continued.

"Sam never visited me at the hospital. I only saw her again after I returned home. That was when she gave me the box with strict instructions: Never leave it behind. Always keep it hidden. Keep the key far away from it."

Egon paused as he tried to remember something. He stared into his mug.

"I still remember how worn out Sam looked when she gave me the box. Like she had been in a fight. In hindsight, I suppose she was. She found a way to contain Maël. But I don't know why she decided it was a good idea for me to keep it."

Egon looked at his friends. "Things changed after that. Sam's personality became very erratic. Uncle Cyrus sent her to a psychiatrist. She was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder."

"Is that why she can't remember me and Winston?" asked Ray.

Egon nodded. "Sam had to go on a leave of absence from Columbia for two years. When she started university again she had to take a comprehensive exam so she didn't have to repeat her first year of studies."

"I don't get it," interrupted Winston. "Are you saying Sam did start studying with you in Columbia in your first year?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Sam gave these two the impression that she took a three-year study break after she got her first degree," explained Peter.

"Wait a minute. Peter, you knew she lied?" exclaimed Ray in surprise. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was trying to figure out who I was talking to, okay?" huffed Peter. "I've always known Sam had Multiple Personality Disorder. I've seen that other persona. Very violent. Almost killed Egon when I first I saw it."

"Well, she wasn't violent yesterday when we first met her. How do you know that wasn't Sam?" asked Winston.

"Sam never calls me by name. It's always Mr. Venkman."

"Like last night," realized Ray.

"Which reminds me," said Peter. "Egon, this can't be Multiple Personality Disorder. The cases I've studied back in college never had personalities that shared memories. Each persona has never remembered anything that happened during the time another was active."

"I agree, Peter," said Egon. "It's strange that Sam's other persona would remember certain incidents in Sam's life. I guess this one didn't know about Sam's first year before her leave of absence."

"Does Sam remember anything her other personas did?" asked Ray.

"If she did, she never talked about it. And as far as I could see, it's always been just one other persona. There was nothing else. The violent one, as Peter puts it. So this overly friendly one is new to me."

"Also, did you notice that when we arrived at the hospital, Ms. Bubbly acted like everything was okay?" Peter asked. "She was even walking just fine. Then when my Sam came on, she could barely walk without your help."

"'Your Sam', Peter?"

"I mean, the Sam you and I know and love. Not that she was mine or that I loved her, but nevermind. The point is physical pain doesn't just disappear when there's a personality switch!"

"So why did Sam show up?" asked Winston. "Is it really because of Maël?"

"Well, yes." Egon hesitated for a moment before he detailed his nightmare to the others. He also explained why he called Sam up and the fact that she really wasn't supposed to show up unannounced.

"What else do we know about Maël?" asked Peter.

"Absolutely none whatsoever," answered Egon. "I've checked Tobin's, The Big Blue Book of Spirits, Dabblin' in Devilry. There's no mention of Maël at all."

Winston rubbed his chin. "Egon, are you sure Maël is in that box?"

"With Sam's statement and the readings I took, the possibility is highly likely."

"But you said the PKE meter hardly detected anything."

"Correct."

"I'm no scientist. But with all this info you just mentioned, I can't help but wonder if the reason why the meter had a hard time getting a reading is because Sam didn't get all of Maël."

All the scientists stared at Winston.

"I mean, think about it. Isn't it a coincidence that after Sam gave you the box she suddenly got multiple personalities? We've split ghosts before, remember?"

Egon's forehead furrowed. He didn't like where Winston's hypothesis was leading. "If that's the case, it could explain why her other personality has been trying to get the box after all these years."

"Maël must be trying to reunite its parts back," concluded Ray.

Egon nodded. "It fits. After we brought Sam back from the hospital, I checked out my lab. The drawer where I kept the box in was open. The box itself was on the floor. Sam must have found it and tried to take it. But it still doesn't explain why it slammed her so hard it left a mark on the wall of my lab though."

Ray winced at the imagery.

"My lab sensors indicate that a strong PKE blast occurred before Janine found Sam. According to the readings, that was just a few minutes after we left the firehouse yesterday afternoon. The epicenter was the drawer."

"Sam must have booby trapped that box in case Maël tried to get his hands on it," guessed Peter.

"Egon, I don't mean to pry," began Ray. "I noticed Sam had a huge scar on her left arm while we were in the hospital. How did she get that?"

"I don't know," Egon answered. "Uncle Cyrus just told me she had an accident."

"An accident?" said Winston. "Egon, not being rude here, but I've seen these kinds of scars before. From Vietnam vets. Their arms were slashed like that to get them to talk. I've heard some POWs died from blood loss when cuts like that hit an artery. But most survivors have permanent nerve damage from that. I'm surprised she can still move her fingers. She's lucky."

"I honestly can't bring myself to believe that Sam would mutilate herself like that on purpose. Sam had always insisted it was an accident. I still hope that's true."

"When did the accident happen?" Ray asked.

Egon thought a bit. Then his eyes widened. "After she gave me the box. Before they found out she had Multiple Personality Disorder."

A heavy silence fell on the room.

"Egon, you really think a part of the demon is still in Sam after all these years?" asked Peter.

"I don't know," replied Egon as he stood up from the table. "I'll need to do more tests. I'll also need to figure out how to convince Sam to undergo an exam."

"Good luck with that," Peter said.

"I'll get my answers one way or another," he said as he left the kitchen.


	8. Snowed In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Grand Knowing You" from She Loves Me (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)](https://open.spotify.com/track/493U43fu2taGiMMPP06i2N?si=TiGs6DIIQJmhtb-H31OQfQ)

**January 1974. Columbia University.**

Sam was sitting cross-legged on Egon's bed, focused on a volume of Molecular Biology.

She was holed up in her cousin's dorm room. Egon needed her assistance once again with his thesis. Sam thought it would be a good idea to pull an all-nighter that Friday night. She wished she had been more diligent in checking the weather though. Then she would have known about the big blizzard that was coming in that evening. Saturday morning found herself snowed in. All she could do was wait until the storm dissipated.

The room was a bit cold. The building's centralized heater was malfunctioning, leaving its residents bundled up in thick blankets and sweaters. But Sam loved the cold temperature and was comfortable in just an oversized, long-sleeved shirt and shorts. It also gave her a reason to enjoy the mug of hot cocoa that Egon had just handed her.

Sam smiled at Egon and thanked him for the drink. She took a tentative sip with a spoon. "Too hot," she mumbled and started stirring the drink to cool it down.

Egon also served Peter a mug as well. Peter was lying in his bed doing absolutely nothing that morning. He had his lounge pants on as well as a green woolen sweater that was sent to him as part of his mother's care package.

Egon went back to his desk to work on his project. He put his own mug just far enough to not do any damage to his electronics in case he accidentally upset his drink.

Sam continued to stir her beverage as she returned to her reading. But she soon felt like she was being watched. She glanced to her left where she saw Peter now sitting up from his bed. He was staring at her with his trademark Cheshire cat grin.

Sam turned her attention back to her book in an effort to concentrate. But her curiosity soon got the better of her.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Venkman?" she asked without taking her eyes away from her book.

"Please," began Peter. "How many times do I have to remind you to call me by name? We're all friends here."

Sam didn't reply.

"No? Oh, that hurts Sam," Peter said, putting his hand on his heart and looking crestfallen.

Sam shook her head. "Mr. Venkman, honestly," she mumbled.

"Peter," corrected the freshman.

"MR. VENKMAN. Honestly, I wish you'd stop bothering me and let me study."

Silence followed her statement which allowed Sam to get back into her study groove. Sam put down her fountain pen. She reached for her clutch pencil and began to write an equation in her notebook.

"You know? I feel we've started out on the wrong foot," mused Peter.

The lead in Sam's pencil suddenly broke. Sam gave an annoyed grunt.

"I've seen you for most of the past semester and I still hardly know you."

Sam reached into her bag for her lead sharpener. 

"I even thought you were Egon's girlfriend."

Egon suddenly went into a coughing fit. Sam closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"But that mistake made me realize that I should make an effort to know your more."

Sam opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Peter. "I have no intention of wanting to know more about you, Mr. Venkman."

"Nah, you don't need to know me if you don't want to," Peter said with a wave of his hand. "Though it's such a shame because I'm such an interesting person to know."

Egon coughed again. Sam rolled her eyes, then returned to her book. There was another long moment of silence. Sam began to sharpen the pencil lead.

"So, what are your hobbies?"

The lead broke in the sharpener, causing Sam to swear under her breath. "Egon! How the hell were you even able to survive having him as a roommate?"

"You get used to it," Egon answered as he searched for wires in his toolbox.

Sam mumbled and tapped the broken lead out of the sharpener.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" persisted Peter.

Sam sighed again. "If I answer, will you leave me alone?"

Peter shrugged. "Maybe."

Sam glanced at Peter. "Singing. Dancing. Guitar."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Guitar! Electric?"

"Acoustic."

"What do you have?"

"It's a Martin D-28."

Peter let out a low whistle. "That's an expensive guitar. So, how come I never heard you play?"

Sam shrugged. "I just usually play in my room."

"Well, you should bring it out some time. I'd love to hear you strum a song or three."

Sam blinked. "Uhm. Sure. Maybe next time." Sam went back to sharpening her pencil.

"What's your favorite liquor?"

Sam hung her head and exhaled slowly.

Egon suddenly turned around to face his roommate. "Peter, she's sixteen!"

"But I see her at the Furnald basement all the time!" reasoned Peter.

Egon lifted an eyebrow at Sam. "They didn't card you?"

Sam gave her cousin the side eye. "It's a makeshift dorm bar, Egon. That place isn't even legal in the building," she snapped irritably.

"Fine, Mr. Venkman." Sam put down her pencil and sharpener. She put a marker on the book and closed it. "Seeing that you won't let me study, I shall indulge you."

Sam fixed herself so that she still sat cross-legged and facing Peter. Egon shook his head and went back to work.

Peter smiled. "This will be good for you. You've been studying without a break all morning. You know, you retain a lot more knowledge if you take small breaks now and then to let all that information have a chance to connect with whatever stored knowledge you already have."

Sam's mouth fell open. "Mr. Venkman, that is the most insightful thing I have ever heard you say."

Peter grinned. "So, the answer to my question?"

Sam gave a smug smile and crossed her arms. "Kentucky bourbon. Vodka."

It was Peter's turn to be surprised. "Wow! A hard liquor gal! Didn't think you had it in you. Must make for some really bad hangovers, huh?"

"Never had one," said Sam. "Never been drunk either."

Peter nodded sagely. "Remind me to bet on you during the drinking games there."

She smirked.

"Favorite snacks?" he continued.

"Pringles. Butterfingers. Sour balls."

"Favorite color?"

"Vermilion."

"Favorite subject?"

Sam tapped on the book she was reading. "I find molecular biology interesting. But I love to know more about biophysics. Mathematical Analysis is also a favorite."

Peter leaned forward towards Sam. "My best attribute?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You have one?"

"Come on now, Sam! There must be something you like about me?"

Sam gave a chuckle. "Mr. Venkman. I tolerate your presence only because for some reason or another Egon thinks you're actually nice."

"Fair enough," said Peter. He nodded at Sam's hair. "Why do you always wear a bun?"

"It keeps my hair nice and tidy. Also, it's much cooler, temperature wise."

Peter leaned forward a bit more. "Let down your hair."

Sam frowned. "Who do you think I am, Rapunzel?"

Peter shook his head. "Look. That 'do makes you look like a spinster. You're sixteen, for crying out loud! Not sixty-one. Let down your hair."

"No."

Peter stood up and approached Sam. He started looking for the hairpins on Sam's head. Sam swatted at him. She could feel a migraine coming.

"Mr. Venkman! What the hell are you doing?" She shouted.

"C'mon! It's going to be fine!"

"Do you know how long it takes for me to put this up properly?"

"I just want to see!"

"THIS IS HARASSMENT!"

Peter persisted in his quest to take out the hairpins.

Immediately, one of Egon's thick Physics books flew out of the bookcase and hit Peter squarely on his head.

"YEEEOOOW!" he yelped in pain. Peter rubbed the back of his head as he looked at the book now lying on the floor. "Egon?" Peter looked at his roommate. The bookshelf was three feet away from where Egon was still seated. There was no possible way Egon could have reached it without getting up.

Egon put down his tools again. He turned to face Sam and gave her a stern look. Sam glared back at her cousin.

"Oh, don't look at me like that! He had it coming," she snapped in indignation.

Egon looked at Peter. "I told you not to aggravate her. Sam tends to send things flying when she's mad."

"Excuse me?" Peter said, not quite understanding Egon.

"She's telekinetic," Egon explained. "But it only surfaces when she's mad."

Peter stared at Egon. "Well you could have told me about that before." Peter continued to rub his head while Egon went back to work.

Meanwhile Sam had closed her eyes and bowed her head. With one hand she started to massage her temples. She slowly breathed through the pain of her migraine.

Peter looked at her, his brows drawn together. "Hey, are you all right?"

Sam held up her hand at Peter. "Just… give me a minute or two, okay?"

Sam continued to breathe rhythmically. She was startled by a hand that started to massage her nape.

"Easy," Peter said with uncharacteristic gentleness. "Just trying to help."

Sam relaxed a bit. The massage helped ease the pain in her head. A few more minutes and the pain was gone. She opened her eyes and raised her head.

"Thank you, Mr. Venkman. That… actually helped."

Peter stopped and made a move to pick up the Physics book on the floor. "You're welcome." There was a slight pause before he asked, "Is that a side effect of the telekinesis?"

Sam simply nodded.

"I'm sorry," apologized Peter as he returned the book to its proper place on Egon's shelf. "I was a jerk."

Sam smiled. "Well, that's the first time I actually agree with you, Mr. Venkman."

Peter went back to his bed and sat down. "I promise not to get you so angry again."

Sam nodded. "Are we done with your Q&A?"

"Just one more thing actually."

"Out with it then."

Peter nodded his head in the direction of her left arm. "What happened?"

Sam blinked. She looked at her arm. She didn't realize that her sleeve had hiked up a couple inches. She looked at the scar that traversed vertically up her wrist ending just midway on her palm. She closed her left hand into a tight fist, cracking her knuckles as she did. Then opened it up again. She heard Egon's chair creak. She looked up to see her cousin also waiting for an answer.

"Accident," she said simply as she pulled down her sleeve over the scar. She looked at Peter. "We're done?"

"Yeah."

Sam went back to her book and opened it up to where she had placed the marker. As she read, she couldn't help but sneak a peek at the freshman. 

Peter was looking glumly at the floor. He was still nursing the spot where the book had hit him. Sam's gaze traveled between her book and Peter several times before she finally closed the book in frustration.

"Damn puppy dog eyes," she muttered.

"Huh?" Peter looked up.

"Sam has a soft spot for puppies," Egon explained as he soldered a connection.

Sam began to methodologically take out the hair pins that held her bun in place. Peter mouthed an "oh" as he watched Sam fluff her dark burgundy hair. It was wavy, quite possibly due to the tight curl of the bun. Her hair fell softly to midway down her back.

Peter smiled. "I knew you were pretty, Sam. I didn't realize you were beautiful. You should keep your hair down more often," he said sincerely.

Sam cocked her head at Peter. "Thank you, Mr. Venkman. That's a very nice compliment."

"You should get to know Peter a bit more," suggested Egon. "Once you get past his ego, he's actually quite the gentleman."

Sam gave a slight smile. "I'll think about it." She then went back to her studying.

Evening came and Sam was still stuck in Wallach Hall. She disappeared into the dorm's communal kitchen and returned with what looked like chicken risotto. She also had a large mug of coffee for herself.

Peter was surprised. "Where did you even get the ingredients?"

"Sam could do miracles with cans of chicken soup, beans and a few spices."

At bedtime, Peter offered Sam his bed. "I can sleep on the floor."

Sam politely declined, explaining that she can share the bed with her cousin.

Peter watched as the cousins took their positions in the cold room. Egon was tucked under the covers while Sam laid on top of it.

Peter stared at the ceiling as he lay in his bed. He was surprised at how interesting Sam turned out to be. She did not have the nerdiness of Egon. As he drifted off to sleep, he made a mental note to give his roommate a candy bar as a gesture of appreciation.

Sam was still wide awake, tracing part of her scar with her thumb. She silently listened to the sounds of the two roommates sleeping and hoped she could return to her dorm tomorrow. 


	9. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Closer" by Nine Inch Nails](https://open.spotify.com/track/4ysiI2bYbXcGT8jMXEPQSk?si=UY3kaVbtTdWCJAmj2N6Uhw)

**October 1987. Ghostbusters Headquarters.**

Having finished breakfast, Peter plodded up the stairs and headed to the bunk room to get dressed. He quietly went to his closet. But as he opened it the door gave out an irritating squeak. He stiffened and spared a quick glance at Egon's bed to see if he had inadvertently woken Sam up with the noise.

Sam didn't move, her back still turned towards Peter.

Peter relaxed. As he watched the gentle rise and fall of the Sam's chest, he remembered how he first came to know about her mental disorder. It was his freshman year. He had come back to the dorm after swim class and was surprised to see Egon's side of the room in a complete mess. Sam was ransacking through his roommate's belongings. He could hear her mumble "Where is it?" over and over again. 

When Sam turned and saw him, she smiled and cooed seductively. "Peter." The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He tried to move away from the doorway but he felt rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. As she came closer, he had a growing feeling of dread.

Then Egon arrived and all hell broke loose. Sam went from seductive to murderous as she lunged at her cousin and seized his neck in an iron grip. It took all of Peter's strength to pry her off his roommate and hold her down while Egon searched for the sedative he kept for scenarios like this.

Back then, Peter asked Egon what Sam was looking for. Egon didn't know. In hindsight, Peter figured Maël was looking for the box even back then. It was the first of many times he saw the thing try to kill Egon.

The psychologist was still lost in his memories as he stripped and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a loose t-shirt. He was jolted back to reality when the doors of the bunk room slammed shut and heard them lock. He turned to see who had locked the doors. No one was there. He continued to stare at the doors as he shut his closet.

"Hello, Peter."

Peter screamed and jumped back in surprise. Sam was standing right next to his closet. He looked at her, at Egon's bed, and back at her. There was no way she could have moved across his bed to the closet that fast without him noticing or hearing her. At least not with the condition he saw her in last night.

"Sam!" he exclaimed nervously. "You're awake! I didn't hear you. You look… okay?" Peter's voice broke on the last word.

Sam stared at him unblinkingly. She gave him a saccharin smile. 

A chill ran down Peter's spine. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, Peter," Sam crooned.

"Really now?" Peter cleared his throat. "Well, I just thought that maybe you'd have trouble walking. I mean, last night Egon had to help you walk around."

The corners of Sam's mouth turned up even more than Peter thought was even possible. "Where is Egon?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, he's in his lab." Peter began to step away.

Sam matched his steps as she came forward. "And the others?"

"Ray and Winston? They're probably downstairs."

"Mmm." Sam's gaze on Peter was almost hypnotic. "You know, I'm glad we have some alone time now."

Peter found himself flush against the wall. The door was just a few feet away to his left.

Sam came nearer until she was close enough to put her hands on his chest. "It gives us a chance to get to know each other again."

"Uh, right." Peter's eyes darted between the doorknob and the woman. Just a few steps and he could get out. Except his feet felt like they were stuck in cement.

Sam came even closer. She pressed her body up against Peter's. "I would love to relive our last day in college, wouldn't you?" Her hands began to slip down slowly to Peter's pants.

Peter knew exactly what she was talking about. But what he felt then was completely different from what he was experiencing now. It was more akin to the dread he felt when Sam locked eyes on him before she attacked Egon. Peter struggled to move. "Sam! Let go!"

Sam undid the button on his pants. She hummed in delight when she heard Peter gasp. She slowly pulled the zipper down. She cupped his groin and started to rub him through his underwear, feeling him harden under her touch. She pressed her lips against his neck and moaned. She pulled down Peter's underwear just enough to get his cock out. One hand cupped his balls while the other began to stroke his shaft.

Sweat started to form on Peter's forehead. "Stop," he managed to say.

Peter heard Sam give a low chuckle while she continued her movements. He was fully erect now. He winced as he felt her nails dig into his balls. The hand on his cock gripped him painfully.

"Stop! Please! I don't want this!"

Sam slowly slid down until she was on her knees. She cooed as she spotted some pre-cum on the tip of his cock. She licked it off playfully. She gave a low laugh as she heard him groan.

Peter gritted his teeth as he felt her lips wrap around the head of his cock. "No," he grunted as she started to suck on him. He made tight fists with his hands as she took him deeper into her mouth inch by inch. He began to gasp for air. Something was preventing him from breathing. He felt pressure building up in his balls as Sam continued to have a tight grip on them. He banged his head against the wall and moaned as Sam continued to suck him. He closed his eyes. He was getting close.

"Help," he squeaked. Peter felt his control about to slip away as he felt his cock hit the back of Sam's throat. He was on the verge of blacking out from the lack of oxygen.

The sudden jiggle of the doorknob startled Sam. Peter's cock slipped out of her mouth as her head suddenly turned towards the door. Her smile faded as she gave a low throaty growl.

"Peter? Are you in there?"

Peter realized he could move again. He roughly pushed Sam away from him. He quickly tucked himself back in his pants as he stepped out of her reach. He unlocked the door in a flash and flung it open to find a very concerned, very surprised Ray.

"Peter! Are you okay?" Ray said, concerned by the state of his friend.

"Ray! Old buddy! Old friend! Old pal!" Peter blurted out as he hugged Ray. "Careful now! It's not Sam," he whispered into Ray's ear. Both men turned to look at the woman.

Sam was now standing and eyed them with great interest as if nothing happened. "Hello, Ray!" came Sam's chipper voice.

"Uhm, Hi, Sam." Ray stood his ground as Peter went behind him. Sam began to walk towards the two. "How are you feeling?" asked Ray.

Sam beamed. "I'm feeling hungry," she replied as she looked at Peter with a glint in her eye. She turned her gaze to Ray. "Perhaps you have something that can satisfy me."

"Yeah, sure," replied Ray. "We have some leftovers if you don't mind having that. I could bring it up to you."

Ray was startled to see Sam move so quickly to his side. She locked her arm around his. Peter moved away and maintained a good distance from her.

"No need, Ray. You can just accompany me to the kitchen." Sam gave Ray a lingering kiss on his cheek.

Ray felt his cheeks warm up. He broke into a broad smile. His hand covered the hand resting on his arm. "Well, in that case, let's not keep your meal waiting!" Ray said in an unusually light voice.

Peter narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Ray, are you okay?"

Ray blinked rapidly at his colleague. "I—I think so."

Sam tugged at Ray's arm as she tried to lead him away from Peter. "Hello? Food! Remember?"

Ray looked back at Sam. "Right! Food!" And they headed for the stairs. "You coming, Peter?"

Peter grimaced. "I'll catch up." He watched as they disappeared down the stairs. He leaned on the door jamb and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to make sense of what had happened. He shook his head to clear his mind. He had to make sure Ray didn't get sucked up in Maël's shenanigans. Peter grimaced again at his poor choice of words. He took a couple of deep breaths before he headed down towards the kitchen.

Not once did Peter notice the PKE meter on Egon's bedside table as it actively recorded signals from the owner's bed.

* * *

Peter arrived at the kitchen to find Ray babbling incessantly as Sam sat waiting at the table. He had caught the tail end of Ray's story about their battle with Gozer. He stood at the doorway as Ray served Sam's meal and began to talk about the Boogieman. As he observed the two for a minute, Peter shuddered as he realized that the woman's expression never changed the slightest bit. She didn't even blink!

"I remember the Boogieman. I fought him before," Sam mentioned as she ate her meal.

"Really? Egon never mentioned that," said Ray. The engineer paused as he finally noticed they were not alone. "Peter! Come and join us! I was just telling Sam about our adventures!"

Peter noticed Ray's wide grin. Yet something was off. Ray's eyes didn't belie the same excitement.

"Sure, Tex," replied Peter as he crossed the kitchen to the cupboard. He grabbed his mug and headed to the coffeepot. He poured himself some coffee and began to drink as he continued to listen to the conversation.

"Ray, your stories have really got me excited," said Sam. "If you're not busy right now, maybe you can teach me how to use your proton pack."

"Sure! Why not?" came Ray's all too enthusiastic reply.

Peter spat out his coffee.

"No! Absolutely not! Ray, what has gotten into you?!" yelled Peter.

"Why not, Peter?" asked Sam. "If I'm going to join you, I should learn how to use your equipment. Egon already taught me how the ghost trap works."

"You're not joining us!" Peter insisted.

Sam tsk-tsked at Peter. "Now, now. We agreed I'd be on probation. You haven't even seen me handle a proton pack yet."

"You wouldn't like the proton pack. It's heavy. It runs hot. You know you don't like warm temperatures. Trust me, you won't like it all!" explained Peter as he tried to change her mind.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Pete!" defended Ray. "She's part Spengler! What could go wrong?"

"May I remind you that our very own mad scientist has at various times blown up his equipment while in the process of doing his own experiments?" said Peter.

"And yet he's still alive. Wonderful, isn't it?" remarked Sam nonchalantly.

Peter looked at Sam. He was about to retort when he stopped. He could have sworn Sam's brown eyes glowed red for a brief moment. He swallowed.

Sam grinned. She stood up and grabbed Ray's hand. "Come on, Ray! I'm excited for my lesson!" With that she pulled him along as she left the kitchen.

Peter shook his head. "This isn't going to end well."


	10. In Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["I Am the Beast" by Blue Stahli](https://open.spotify.com/track/1BbQmxzuVYVPPrbGuGPHET?si=8vVdvSBrT-ykRPCs9wVB1w)

"Pete, I don't think this is a good idea," Winston said as he followed Peter to the alley next to the firehouse.

"I know that, Winston. But Sam. Maël. Whatever! Somehow it's convinced Ray to teach her how to use the proton pack."

Both men entered the alley to find Ray setting up three cardboard targets. Sam had put on Ray's jumpsuit and eagerly observed him work.

"We can't leave her with Ray," Peter whispered. "Who knows what that demon will do to him. Or make him do."

Ray made one last adjustment to a target. "We're all set!" He turned around to see Peter and Winston a few feet behind Sam. "Oh! Hi, guys! Are you here to help me teach Sam?"

Peter held up his hand in acknowledgement. "Just observing! We'll let you do the training."

Ray walked to the proton pack that was leaned up against the wall and picked it up. He approached Sam. "Let's get this on you."

"Does Egon know about this?" whispered Winston.

Peter slapped his face with the palm of his hand. "Damn it! I knew I forgot something!" he hissed.

"Okay, let's make sure you're all strapped in good and tight," said Ray as he secured the pack on the woman.

"Mmm. Yes. Strap me in," Sam replied in a sultry tone. "Whoa! This is heavy!" she remarked with surprise as the weight of the pack settled on her.

"Yup! Around 50 pounds." Ray did some last minute adjustments before he gave the instructions.

"So, first I turn you on," Ray reached over and flipped the switch. The proton pack lighted up and hummed to life.

"I like it when you turn me on," said Sam. She grinned when she saw Ray blush.

"Now. This button over here turns on the thrower." Ray pointed at a button.

"Would you like to push my button or should I?" asked Sam.

"Er. Uhm. Heh! You do it."

Sam pressed the button. She purred as she felt the thrower vibrate in her hands.

Ray continued his instructions. "This dial adjusts the power of the stream. I've set it on the lowest setting for now since we're not catching ghosts. Besides, you might not be able to handle the recoil."

"Recoil? You mean like a gun?" asked Sam.

Ray nodded. "Yeah. You could say that. But it's more like a fireman's hose. The last thing you want is to lose control of the stream."

Sam hummed again. "What happens if you get hit by this thing?"

"Total protonic reversal."

"Meaning?"

"Essentially we disintegrate."

Ray went behind Sam and helped point her thrower at the target. "Just aim. Then when you're ready, push this to fire." Ray let her go and stepped back to give her some room.

Sam adjusted her aim. Without the slightest hesitation, she fired. Her shot missed badly, hitting the back wall of the alley. Sam growled.

"Well, at least she's got lousy aim," mumbled Peter.

"Don't knock it. The dangerous ones are the lousy shots," warned Winston.

"That's okay, Sam!" Ray encouraged. "All of us miss the target on the first few—"

Sam took another go at the target and hit it dead center. She quickly dispatched the other two targets with the same accuracy.

The three stood staring at her, their mouths hung open.

Sam walked towards Ray and looked him in the eye. "How did I do?"

Ray broke into a wide grin. He started clapping and bouncing on his heels. "That was absolutely amazing! Okay. Let me set up some more targets for practice."

Sam yawned dramatically. "That sounds like fun. But I think I'm ready for live targets."

"Live targets?" Peter and Winston said in surprise.

"You know? Ghosts."

"Sure! Why not?" agreed Ray.

"Ray, I really think this is a bad idea," cut in Winston.

Sam held Ray's arm. "Nonsense. You can see I did excellent work on those targets. I'm sure I can handle moving ones just fine. Right, Ray?"

Ray simply nodded his head. He promptly yelled for Slimer. The ghost popped out from the wall of the firehouse and floated over to the Ghostbuster. Slimer kept a safe distance away from Sam.

"Slimer, Sam needs to practice shooting with the proton pack. So I need you to act as her target, okay?"

The green ghost vehemently protested.

"Aww! C'mon, spud! The thrower is set to low. It won't hurt you, I swear!"

Slimer continued to refuse and turned its back on Ray.

"There's an extra large pizza in it for you if you do this."

"With extwa peppewoni?" asked Slimer.

Ray nodded.

Slimer finally agreed.

Peter and Winston came forward and reminded Slimer to stay away from the three Ghostbusters during the practice. "We don't want to get in the line of fire," said Peter.

While the men were busy with Slimer, they never noticed Sam playing around with the thrower's controls.

"Ray, I still think this is a bad idea," repeated Winston. Ray gave him a blank look and a lopsided smile before he walked back to Sam.

"I think we've lost Ray," Winston said to Peter as they walked back to the entrance of the alley.

"Slimer will be flying around," Ray explained to Sam. "All you have to do is aim and shoot. Track him with the wand and aim for his middle. Take your time."

"That doesn't sound so hard," replied Sam.

Ray gave her a thumbs up before joining Peter and Winston. "Any time you're ready, Sam!" he yelled.

Slimer started flying around. Sam didn't try to track the ghost with her wand. Instead, she followed it by sight for a full minute.

"She's slow," said Peter. "That's a good sign not to have her on the team."

"Give her a chance," defended Ray. "Maybe Slimer is too fast for her. I can tell the spud to slow down." Ray took a few steps forward. "Oh!" he exclaimed as he suddenly felt his head spin. He staggered before falling down to his knees.

"Ray!" Peter yelled. He was about to rush over to his fallen colleague when Winston yelled.

"DUCK!"

Winston tackled Peter to the ground as Slimer screamed, hurtling past them. Simultaneously, they heard a loud crack as the proton stream barely missed the top of their heads.

Sam had dialed the thrower's power to the highest level. The recoil from the blast sent her flying backward. She hit the back wall of the alley with a loud crunch of metal meeting brick. The thrower turned off the moment her finger left the trigger. She fell to the ground face first.

Slimer had disappeared.

"Shit!" Winston quickly scrambled to his feet. "Pete! See if Ray is okay! I'll take care of Sam!" he said as he ran for the fallen woman.

Sam wasn't moving. Sparks flew from the damaged pack on her back. Winston couldn't tell if she was still breathing. He knelt down to check for a pulse and found it.

"Ray's okay!" Peter said as he caught up to Winston. "How's Sam?"

"She's out cold. Quick! We got to get this pack off her!"

Peter knelt down in front of Sam and reached under her to unclasp the belt.

"Careful!" Winston warned. "No telling what other injuries she might have."

Just then Sam moaned and attempted to push herself up.

"Whoa! Easy!" Peter said.

"Just get this thing off me so I can breathe, Venkman," she wheezed weakly.

Peter was ecstatic! The moment Winston had eased the pack off her, Peter gathered her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm so glad you're back!" Peter said as he hugged her tight.

"Venkman, you're going to break my spine," Sam mumbled.

Peter laughed and kissed her again. "How do you feel?" he asked as he gazed at her face.

Sam blinked. "Same way I felt last night. Terrible."

Peter let her head rest on his shoulder while his hand cradled the back of her neck.

"What happened?" yelled Egon. Everyone looked over to see the blond-haired scientist running towards them with Slimer right behind him. In the confusion, the ghost had made a beeline to Egon and told him what happened.

"Stop screaming. You're making my headache worse," Sam muttered as she struggled to stand up.

"It's all my fault," Ray said as he came up to the group. "I was teaching Sam how to use the thrower. I didn't check the settings and—"

"Shut up, Raymond! It's not your fault!" Sam snapped. She was finally able to stand as she leaned heavily on Peter.

Egon turned his attention back to his cousin. "Are you all right?"

Sam waved a hand at Egon. "Just help me back inside, please?"

Egon took Sam from Peter and proceeded to help her walk back into the firehouse. As the cousins passed Ray, she stopped to apologize. "I'm sorry. The fault is all mine." She patted Ray's shoulder and gave him a wan smile.

Ray watched as the two slowly walked away. Winston put his hand on Ray's shoulder. "Hey, Ray. Are you all right?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't know what came over me." He looked at Peter and Winston. "I know I shouldn't be teaching Sam how to use the equipment. But I couldn't help it. It's like, it felt so good to see her so happy and I just needed to feel more of that."

"Sounds like you were on drugs, man," replied Winston.

"Then I felt dizzy just before Sam accidentally blasted us."

"Uh-uh! Uh-uh!" blabbered Slimer. "Slimer thwown!"

"What?" Ray reacted.

"Looks like that wasn't an accident," said Peter.

"Yeah. That was an attack," said Winston. "Maybe we should stay away from Sam until we figure out what we're dealing with."

* * *

Sam was seated on Egon's bed. Egon had helped her out of the jumpsuit as she complained about how she felt like she was about to overheat. She felt a bit better being back in her shorts and her long-sleeved t-shirt.

She was hunched over, her elbows resting on her knees. Her body ached from being slammed twice onto walls within just twenty-four hours. It was a miracle she had no broken bones. But she couldn't discount the possibility of micro-fractures. She moved her head to the side. An audible crack sounded. Getting slammed around wasn't a new thing for her. But this was a whole new level of hurt that she can't deal with anymore.

Peter had caught up to the cousins just as they were about to go up the stairs to the second floor. Despite Sam's weak protests, Peter silently picked Sam up and carried her all the way to the bunk room. He now sat across her on his own bed as he watched her worriedly.

Sure and steady footsteps sounded through the bunk room. "Here," Egon said softly as he handed Sam a glass of water and two aspirins. 

Sam looked up at her cousin for a moment before straightening up. She took the glass and medicine from him. She contemplated on the medication in her palm before bringing it to her mouth and washing it down with a couple of gulps of water. She wiped away a drop of liquid from her lips with the back of her hand. Sam closed her eyes and went back to her hunched position. The glass was gently taken from her grasp.

She felt a weight by her side joining her on the bed. Egon moved to take Sam's hand into his, only to have his gesture rebuffed. He took back his hand and made no further attempt at physical contact.

"Sam, I know there's something going on with you," Egon whispered. "I know it has something to do with Maël." Sam flinched. "Please. Let me help you."

Sam felt a tightness in her chest as she weighed the pros and cons of what she was about to do. She bit her lower lip. She opened her mouth, then closed it. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and tried again.

"Egon—"

Sam's head jerked up when the alarm rang shrilly through the firehouse. Her face turned ashen as she looked at Egon wide-eyed.

"It's just the alarm, Sam. We have a call." Egon brought his hand up to her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Get some rest, Sam. I promise, we'll talk again when I get back." He kissed Sam on her forehead.

Egon stood up. "Come on, Peter."

"I'll catch up in a moment," said Peter.

Sam watched helplessly as Egon strode to the fire pole and slid down. She then looked at Peter.

Venkman moved off his bed and knelt in front of her. He gently held her head in his hands and kissed her. His forehead touched hers.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay? Hang in there."

Sam nodded in silence. She watched as Peter stood up and left in the same fashion.

Sam stared at the pole for a long time. Then she looked down at the floor. She began to massage either side of her head with her fingers. She closed her eyes. She was so tired. She knew she wasn't going to be awake long enough. "New plan," Sam said wearily to herself. She raised her head so that her hands slid down to her mouth.

Finally she exhaled heavily. She opened her eyes. She let her arms fall to her sides, set her jaw and furrowed her brow. She stood up, sucking her breath through gritted teeth as she did so.

With great difficulty, she walked to her suitcase and knelt down beside it. On opening it up, she felt around one wall. Not finding what she was looking for, she upended the case, causing its contents to spill onto the floor. She grabbed at the loose lining on the other wall and tore it off with a grunt. A package tied together with string fell out. She grabbed the package and unwrapped it.

Then she slowly got up from floor and staggered out of the bunk room.


	11. Hello, Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Sword of Damocles" by Music Junkies, Ars Arcana feat. NSFW](https://open.spotify.com/track/0lp3bQDkTeT480rp5Mh3kv?si=HqA2fY1XRTGX_iMSJjJQ3w)

**July 1971. Cleveland, Ohio.**

"Have fun, kids!" called out Mrs. Spengler as Egon and Sam ran out of the house.

It was a beautiful Independence Day morning. The two thirteen-year-olds had woken up bright and early. They were eager to go through their plans for the day. Egon was especially alert. Thanks to Sam's help, he was able to sleep soundly for the first time since the Boogieman first visited him.

The cousins headed for the park just across the street from Egon's home. "I'll be on top of the hill," Egon called out as he ran towards one direction while carrying a big box in his arms.

"I'll see you there later!" replied Sam as she headed for the pond with a jar in her hands.

Egon reached the top of the hill and set down the box underneath the lone tree that stood there. He reached into the box and took out the bottle of his specially formulated rocket fuel. He set it down near the tree's roots. Next, he took a glass alcohol burner. He walked a couple yards away and set the burner down. He took out the box of matches from his pants pocket and proceeded to light the burner. Finally, he went back to the box for his rocket.

Meanwhile, Sam was busy by the edge of the pond. She had latex gloves on and was searching for a nice, fat toad that she could use for one of her experiments. As she searched through the reeds for a perfect specimen, she thought she heard someone giggle.

She paused to listen. When she heard nothing, she shrugged and continued her search for a toad.

She heard the giggle again. She stood up and looked around her. "Hello? Who's there?" she called out. Her question was answered by more laughter. She left the reeds and started to follow the sound.

Egon was still fixing his rocket. He had set it up near the alcohol burner and was now making last minute calculations. "Take into account the wind speed and the weight of the rocket. Factor in the atmospheric pressure…" he mumbled as he scribbled in his notebook.

He stopped when he smelled something acrid. He looked up from his notes and saw black smoke. His first thought was that his rocket had caught fire. But the rocket was still intact. The smoke seemed to have no origin.

Then the smoke laughed.

Sam strayed further away from the pond and away from the hill as she tried to find out who was laughing. She smelled something like rotten eggs. Sam crinkled her nose. There was more laughter. It seemed to come from behind some bushes. 

"Hello?" Sam called out again. She slowly tilted her head to the side and drew her eyebrows together. More laughter came from the bushes. She also noticed what looked like red smoke.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Sam was startled by Egon's yell. She quickly turned and ran towards him. 

The cloud of black smoke swirled around Egon like a small tornado. Egon made a futile attempt to escape the vortex. The smoke kept cackling.

"What are you?" the boy yelled.

"I am called Maël," it hissed in reply. "And you shall be my new home!"

The smoke started to seep into Egon's skin. At first, the boy felt pins and needles all over his body. This quickly escalated into excruciating pain. He screamed as he felt like his skin was being stripped. Egon lost consciousness and crumpled to the ground.

Sam was at the foot of the hill when she saw her cousin collapse. "Egon!" she yelled as she sprinted to the top. She was midway up the hill when Egon began to stir.

Egon stood up with his back turned towards Sam. Bits of dried leaves, grass, and dirt clung to his clothes. He calmly brushed it all off him.

"Egon! Are you all right?" asked Sam as she finally reached him.

"I'm fine. Just fine, my dear."

Sam froze. The voice wasn't Egon's. It was deeper. Grating. "Egon?"

Egon turned to face her. Sam gasped. Gone were her cousin's sky blue eyes. Instead, pools of black orbs stared back at her. 

Egon leered.

"Egon? What happened to you?" asked Sam, her voice just barely loud enough to be heard.

The boy's laughter sounded like glass breaking under the extreme heat of a fire. "Egon is no more. I am Maël!" came a deep, cruel voice.

Sam stood rooted to the spot, too shocked to move. "What did you do to Egon?" Sam demanded. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

"Oh, you need not worry about him anymore."

"What do you want with him? What are you?" Sam yelled.

Maël chuckled. "We have roamed great distances for thousands of years. Searching for humans that would serve our needs nicely. This one proved to be a perfect fit." The corners of the boy's mouth turned up until it showed Egon's now deformed, wolfish teeth.

"Who is 'we'? And a perfect fit for what?"

"You'll find out as soon as we have you." He then lunged at Sam.

Sam turned to run, but Maël was inhumanly fast. As he tackled Sam, the two hit the ground hard. Sam struggled to get out from underneath her possessed cousin. She was surprised by how much strength Egon now had. 

Sam gave a loud grunt as she attempted to roll over, making the boy land on his back. She struggled to get out of his grasp. She jerked her head back, hitting the boy in the face. Egon's glasses broke in half from the impact. The entity screamed. Whatever it was, it could still feel pain. Sam took advantage of the moment and scrambled to get up. But the being recovered quickly. Before Sam could run, the thing managed to grab her ponytail. She was yanked back and flung against the tree. As Sam hit the ground, the container of rocket fuel tipped over and slowly rolled towards the rocket.

Sam moaned as she lay on her back, dazed and disoriented. Her cousin calmly walked towards her. He knelt down, straddling her as he did so, and pinned her arms to either side of her head. "Don't worry. It will only hurt for a while. Then you won't feel anything at all." He bent forward, planted his tongue at the base of her neck and proceeded to lick upwards.

The rocket fuel continued to roll until it stopped near the burner.

Sam smelled the scent of rotten eggs again. She began to feel something seep through her skin. Her body felt like it was on fire. The pain was almost unbearable.

"EGON! WAKE UP!" Sam pleaded as the boy began to bury his face between her breasts. Sam was on the verge of blacking out. She closed her eyes and screamed.

The canister of rocket fuel exploded into a small fireball. The blast sent Egon flying off Sam. He was sent sprawling four yards away from his cousin.

Sam felt the intense heat of the blast. She waited for the ringing in her ears to stop before she opened her eyes. The skin on her arms was tender, as if it was sun-burned. She slowly sat up, wincing in pain. She turned to see her cousin lying face down and unconscious. Sam half-crawled, half-stumbled to his side. "Egon?"

Nothing. She felt for his pulse. Her hand came away covered in blood.

That was when she started running for the Spengler home, screaming for help.

*** 

Egon woke up sometime in the evening. He opened his eyes slowly. His glasses were gone. But he could see he wasn't at the hill, nor was he in his bedroom.

He heard a familiar whisper. "Mom?" he called out weakly.

"Oh, my boy! You're awake!" cried his mother. "How are you feeling?"

"Numb," he replied. "And thirsty."

Egon's mother adjusted his bed so he could sit up. She filled a glass with water and helped him drink.

It was only after Egon was done that he noticed he was in a hospital room. His torso and arms were wrapped in bandages. "What happened?" he asked.

His mother recounted that his rocket had exploded and he was thrown back violently from the blast. There was some bleeding from a head wound and he had received a mild concussion. He also had first- and second-degree burns, the worst of which were on his back.

"If it wasn't for Sam, I don't know what else would have happened to you," said his mother.

"Sam!" Egon had a brief memory of Sam calling out his name. "Where is she?"

"She's home. She had first-degree burns from the accident. Other than that, she's fine. Now. Just rest, Spookums. Everything is going to be okay now."

Egon stayed in the hospital for five days. Throughout the duration of his stay, only his Uncle Cyrus came to visit. When Egon asked why Sam wasn't around, his uncle didn't know. Sam only kept saying she had research to do at the library.

Sam finally visited Egon the day after he came home. Egon noticed that she was not her usual energetic self. The dark circles around her eyes suggested she had not been sleeping well. He had never seen her so worn out. He asked her what happened, but Sam merely sidestepped the question.

Instead, she gave him a metal lock box and a key. He listened carefully as she gave him strict instructions on its storage and care. His cousin wouldn't tell him what the box contained. All Egon could do was promise to take care of it.

*** 

It had been a week after Egon received the box from Sam. He was urgently shaken awake by his mother early morning. "Get dressed," she said. "Your Uncle Cyrus just rushed Sam to the hospital."

The two-hour drive to the hospital was silent and uncomfortable. They were met by his Uncle Cyrus when they arrived. He told them that Sam had just been wheeled out of surgery and was now in the Intensive Care Unit. She was in the process of receiving a blood transfusion, which meant no visitors were allowed in the room at that moment. But so far her condition was stable.

Egon peered at his unconscious cousin through the room's observation window. Various monitoring equipment were hooked up to Sam. A nurse was by her side to keep an eye on the progress of the transfusion. Egon noticed Sam's left arm was wrapped in a bandage.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find his Uncle Cyrus also observing the room.

"Uncle Cyrus, why is Sam's arm wrapped like that?"

Cyrus took a deep breath. "There was an accident. Sam's arm got slashed badly."

"What accident?"

Cyrus looked at his nephew. "I can't answer that just yet. For now, what's important is that Sam gets through this."

Both of them went back to gazing at Sam with an uneasy quiet.

Sam was released ten days later with her arm cradled in a sling. She was scheduled to go through physical therapy as soon as her stitches healed.

Two weeks after her release, Egon received news that she was taking a study leave from Columbia. Sam's mental state was in question and would need time for treatment.

Egon couldn't help but wonder if Sam's mental state had anything to do with her accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to @LuvBusters for inadvertently giving me an idea to make this even more disturbing. :D


	12. Beautiful. Terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Run (Beautiful Things) (HIGHSOCIETY Remix)" by AWOLNATION, HIGHSOCIETY](https://open.spotify.com/track/2nAC1ahqV8pfIlYptYJ66t?si=FS0HBwAbS5aFpIc7_pn1gg)  
> ["Run" by AWOLNATION](https://open.spotify.com/track/3fcXx9TKAio2GvUQ4L06K7?si=ay-64DPSQEe5oZ8751hhbQ)  
> ["Run (Beautiful Things) - Single Mix" by AWOLNATION](https://open.spotify.com/track/0MPQ03m2QLoB02I4UXQR9c?si=7qVNPCHdTg6pPOSoxunfaw)

**May 1976. Columbia University.**

Sam sat on the steps of Low Library. She had been there for over an hour now. On her lap was a vermilion journal which she had hand-bound herself. Its pages were filled with sketches and research notes she had written in the past year. The journal was almost full. Soon it would be time for her to make another one.

Egon had graduated in 1974. Before he left for MIT to pursue his doctorate in Physics, they got into a fierce argument. Egon informed Sam that he had put Peter to the task of looking after her while she was finishing her Biology degree in Columbia. Peter arrived at the dorm room and thought Sam had switched to the violent persona and was trying to kill Egon again. Sam's anger redirected from Egon to Peter. After both men barely avoided getting hit by various flying projectiles, Sam stormed out of their room. "There is no way in hell I would ever let Mr. Venkman babysit me!" She hadn't talked to her cousin since then.

At the beginning of her last year in Columbia, she was able to transfer to the largest single room in Wallach Hall. She was thankful for the change from Furnald as it allowed her better access to her professors. It was a major reason she was able to graduate with one of the highest GPAs in the university's history, 0.12 points higher than Egon. If her cousin had not gotten that A-minus in his first year, the tables could have easily been turned.

At the same time, her adviser counseled that she needed to be more social if she were to push through with her plans to take a masters degree in Psychology. It would not do well to have an anti-social psychologist. A friend then convinced her that there was no better social exercise than being in a relationship.

Eight months had passed since she first started this social exercise. It was not without its difficulties. Thankfully her partner was immensely patient with her. Especially during the last four weeks when she was so busy fulfilling exams, clearances and last minute requirements for graduation. She couldn't even sit down long enough to have coffee with him. Now everything was finally finished.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" Sam looked up from her journal and met the bright green eyes of her boyfriend. She smiled. If her cousin ever found out that she had gone into a relationship with Peter Venkman, she would never hear the end of it.

Egon turned out to be right when he told her to give Peter a chance. Peter did turn out to be a gentleman. However irked she was by his happy-go-lucky demeanor, she realized that Peter was not stupid. He was no genius, but he very well understood human nature. He was a ladies' man, but he was never a two-timer. Despite Peter's bravado and ego, he was all heart underneath.

Peter ran up the steps two at a time. Upon reaching Sam, he bent down to take her face in his hands and gently kissed her. "All your requirements are done, right?" Peter asked as he sat down next to her.

"Yes, Mr. Venkman," Sam answered formally. "All done and accounted for."

Peter shook his head in amusement. "Eight months, Sam!" he exclaimed while still smiling. "Eight months and you still won't call me by name!"

Sam looked at Peter intently. "If anything, I am at least consistent."

Peter sighed. "Fine. You win. So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm hungry."

"Japanese?"

"Of course."

Twenty minutes later, the two were seated on Peter's bed. Peter had moved out of Wallach Hall and into the Tri Kuppa Bru frathouse after his freshman year. It was common practice for the two to stay there and talk over warm bowls of instant ramen. 

They were silent save for the sound of occasional slurps of noodles before Peter spoke up.

"So, what's next for you?"

"I'm planning to take up a masters in Psychology," replied Sam.

"Following in my footsteps?" joked Peter.

"Ha! The only reason you switched to Psychology was because you found out engineering had nothing to do with your beloved trains," she smirked. "But seriously. I'm taking it up in preparation for a doctorate in Parapsychology."

Peter looked up from his bowl and stared at Sam like she had grown a new head. "Am I still talking to Samantha Blackburn, genius cousin to the equally genius Egon Spengler? Parapsychology isn't even a soft science! I never took you for someone who'd go for an easy path to a doctorate."

"Mr. Venkman, Parapsychology is just as much a science as biophysics is," defended Sam.

"Come on, Sam. There's no such thing as ghosts."

"It's not just about the supernatural, you know? It's also about proving what is or isn't psychic in nature. It will be nice to study why some people get psychic abilities and some don't."

"In other words, you want to study yourself." Peter smiled.

Sam paused. "You could say that," she said softly. She toyed with her noodles absentmindedly.

Peter set his bowl on the floor and reached out to put his hand on Sam's knee. "Hey," he said gently. "I'm sorry if I touched a nerve there. You're one of the most intelligent people I know. I thought you'd be pursuing other science-y stuff. Not some pseudo-science area. But if that's what you want to do, then I'm right behind you."

Sam looked up at Peter and gave him a faint smile.

"Come here," Peter said. He took Sam's bowl and placed it next to his before he gathered her into his arms.

Sam leaned into Peter. She relaxed as she felt Peter's hug tighten. "Thank you," she murmured. Sam closed her eyes. "It's amazing how you're able to put up with me."

"I could say the same thing about you too," said Peter and kissed the top of her head.

Sam hummed contentedly. She felt so safe in his arms. The tension in her shoulders slowly ebbed away as her breathing came to a slow regular rhythm.

A few minutes passed. Sam began to stir and move out of Peter's arms. She took off her glasses and placed them on Peters bedside table. To Peter's surprise, Sam moved to kiss him sensually. His surprise slowly ebbed as he returned the kiss with the same fervor.

Sam's hands went underneath his shirt and began to roam. Her mouth traveled down Peter's throat, kissing and sucking. She whimpered in disappointment as she tried to remove his shirt unsuccessfully.

Peter gently pushed Sam away. "Wait," he said and took his shirt off.

Sam smiled. Her hands explored his chest for a moment. Then she stood up and began to slowly strip her clothes off, enjoying Peter's drunken gaze.

Peter let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding as he stared in wonder at Sam's naked body. He reached over and caressed her breast. "You are absolutely beautiful," he whispered. He brought her closer to suck on her nipple. Sam sighed as her hands combed through his hair. He pulled her down for another kiss, their tongues intertwining. He gently guided her until she was lying on his bed. Peter stood up to take off the rest of his clothes.

Sam gazed lustfully at Peter. She reached out to gently tug at his manhood. Peter inhaled sharply through his teeth. She continued to pull him towards her until Peter finally knelt between her legs. She guided Peter to her entrance.

Peter's breath hitched as he felt her wetness at the tip of his cock. He gazed into Sam's eyes. He knew it was Sam's first time. He had it in his mind to go slow and gentle. So he was caught completely off guard when Sam's legs wrapped around his waist and quickly pulled him into her without warning. He had speared her to the hilt.

"Fu-u-u-ck!" Peter moaned at the delicious warmth that tightly enveloped his member. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he tried to control himself.

But Sam was having none of that. She began to move her hips, making Peter start to saw in and out of her in small, exquisite movements. Peter briefly wondered how and when Sam learned to move like that. It was quickly replaced by the urgent need to have more of her.

Peter lost all control. He grabbed her hips and began to thrust desperately. He wanted to be as deep inside Sam as he could. Peter grunted and gripped her harder as her muscles contracted deliciously around him. He felt the tension build up inside him. He was close. "Sam, I need to pull out," he said as he remembered he didn't have protection on.

Sam moaned, her legs wrapped tighter around him, urging him wordlessly to move faster, harder.

"God! Sam!" Peter grunted. He couldn't hold it back any longer. He moaned as he finally came hard. Sam joined him shortly, further adding to Peter's high. Peter collapsed on top of her as he gasped for air. He slowly pulled out and moved to avoid having his full weight on her. He nodded off to sleep with his head on Sam's shoulder.

Sam grinned and ran her hand through Peter's hair. She gave a low chuckle. Her eyes took on a faint tinge of red.

"Ahh! Peter!"

Sam awoke with a start. The light temporarily blinded her. As her eyes got used to the brightness, she became aware of the very naked Peter by her side. His arm encircled her waist.

Sam slowly got out of bed, taking care not to wake up her partner. She winced as she felt the shooting pain between her legs. She looked down and saw a sticky white and red substance flow down the inside of her thigh. Her pulse quickened.

She found her glasses and put her clothes back on as fast she could. She tore out a page from her journal. She stopped when Peter suddenly moved. She relaxed a bit when he started snoring again. Sam started to write. She folded the paper and set it where Peter would immediately find it. Then she hurried out of the room and back to her dorm.

On reaching her room, she slammed the door shut and locked it. She was breathing heavily. She fell to her knees and started sobbing. She fell asleep in Peter's arms. She shouldn't have. What was worse was the thing trapped her in an active memory. Sam saw everything and was powerless to stop it. After it ended, the thing said something that terrified her.

_What a wonderful plaything! I wonder what else I can do with him?_

Sam felt another stab of pain between her legs. "Damn you!" she cried. She took deep breaths, trying to think of what to do next. 

"New plan," she said as she finally stood up.

She grabbed her guitar case and suitcase out from under her bed and plopped them on top of the mattress. She opened up the suitcase. She ran her hands on both sides, doing a quick check on the lining. Once she was satisfied, she started dumping all her belongings into the case.

Peter woke up four hours later. His hand grasping at an empty space. He was surprised that Sam was gone. Peter got up to get dressed so he could look for her. He saw the note. "I'm sorry" was all it said.

Peter sprinted to Sam's dorm. He arrived at her room, only to find it was now completely bare. 

Sam looked out through the plane's window, her eyes puffy from crying. She didn't want to leave Peter. But she didn't know what that demon would do to him if she stayed. Sam's breath caught as she felt another flash of pain, bringing fresh tears down her cheek. She hoped the ibuprofen she had just drank would take effect soon.

Sam took a deep, calming breath. She would need to call her Uncle Cyrus and apologize for not telling him that she won't be at her graduation. And then make up an excuse about traveling to Edinburgh.

As for Peter, she decided it was best for him not to know where she had gone or why she left. He would never understand it. Besides, Peter Venkman didn't believe in ghosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be wondering why there's three songs here. They're actually all just one song. It speaks loads of the duality of humans. We can be beautiful and terrifying. And sometimes, even what seems to be beautiful is actually terrifying.


	13. The Joy of Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Everybody Wants To Rule The World - From "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Soundtrack" by Lorde ](https://open.spotify.com/track/7z1DC9WSs0T7Zh2PtH1EHH?si=eCXWA1qURGOyIF7Fy23jdg)

**October 1987. Ghostbusters Headquarters.**

It was dusk when the Ghostbusters returned. The men stepped out of the converted hearse. Various sounds of groaning and moaning could be heard as they stretched their tired frames. They have had several calls since they left the firehouse that morning: a couple of class two poltergeists, animated underwear in the Garment District, a buggane that got fussy for not getting any cream, and a possessed food processor to name a few. They were all not particularly difficult but they were many enough that the men barely had time to have a quick bite to eat for lunch.

Egon walked to Janine's desk as the secretary was filing away various documents.

"How's Sam?" he asked.

"She's still upstairs," Janine answered. "I went up to ask if she wanted anything for lunch but she was asleep. She's been asleep all day."

"You mean she hasn't eaten at all since we left?" asked Peter.

"All right," Egon stated. "I'll be in my lab if you need me."

Peter followed Egon up to the third floor. Egon peeked into the bunk room for a moment to find Sam still asleep under the covers. He furrowed his brow and continued to scowl as he entered his lab.

"Egon, shouldn't you wake Sam up?" asked the psychologist. "She's probably really hungry right now." Peter's stomach grumbled. "In fact, I think I should make something for all of us. I'm starving!"

"Perhaps," replied Egon. "Why don't you go ahead and make dinner? I'll wake her up when it's ready."

"You got it, big guy," mumbled Peter. As he made for the door, he noticed a familiar vermilion-colored book on Egon's desk. He walked over to the desk and picked up the book.

"Hey, Egon," he began. "Why is Sam's research journal on your desk?"

Egon walked over and took the book from Peter. He opened it up and started reading.

"It looks like a draft for one of her research papers," Egon said. "Hmm. _A Study on Humans as Biological Containment Units_. Fascinating." 

Egon flipped to the abstract. "It seems Sam postulated that the human body essentially acts as a living containment unit. Looks like she based her research on a similar theory by Carl Jung. Listen to this hypothesis Sam wrote. _The spirit is composed of energy. The electrical impulses generated by the body's constantly firing synapses create a strong enough energy mesh that keeps the spirit within the body. This may be the reason why external spiritual entities would rather inhabit a living body as opposed to a dead one. While a spiritual entity may also occupy a non-living object, there is not enough positive charge that would allow them to bind to the object._ Strange. Sam would normally write her drafts with a fountain pen. I wonder why this is in pencil?"

Egon scanned through the rest of the hypotheses mentioned in the abstract.

> Only one spirit should always be existing in the human host. Should the host contain more than one spirit, the stronger one will prevail and eventually absorb or eliminate the weaker one.
> 
> The human spirit’s charge is weak enough for living containment to be successful. However, a possessor spirit would act more like a parasite. It would latch onto the human spirit while still retaining its own psycho-kinetic energy level. It may also be possible for the foreign spirit to take advantage of whatever psycho-kinetic energy may exist in the human.
> 
> Should a considerable amount of trauma be applied to the central nervous system, it can weaken the mesh and release the spirit, be it human or possessor, from the body. 
> 
> It is possible for an ejected human spirit to re-enter the deceased body if the body’s central nervous system could fire again and the spirit has not ionized enough to the point that the electrical mesh will not be able to contain it. The balance between the body's electrical impulses and the human spirit's psycho-kinetic energy is thought to be very delicate, which is why cases of near-death experiences are relatively rare.

Egon flipped over to another page. Then another, and another. "That's odd. I would have expected to see Sam's findings in here, but the rest of the book is blank."

"Maybe she just started writing it," Peter mentioned.

"Possibly," Egon mused. "But the book looks like it's been well used."

"While you figure that out, I'm off to make dinner," said Peter as he headed out of the lab.

Egon put the book down next to the spectral differentializer while he turned on the machine. He then realized that the PKE meter he needed was still in the bunk room and left the lab to retrieve the device. 

Sam was still sleeping soundly. As he approached his bedside table to get his meter, he saw the mess of clothes on the floor and the torn up luggage. He looked at Sam and noted how she was so wrapped up in the blanket. Something his cousin had always disliked. He looked at the mess and back at his cousin. He decided to get a PKE reading, only to find out his meter was dead. He silently left the room and went back to his lab.

Egon plugged in the meter to charge it and put it down on his desk. He went back to the spectral differentializer. Then he noticed the book. He had left it open on a blank page. Except it was no longer blank. Blue writing filled the paper. He quickly picked up the book and leafed through the pages. Every single one had writing on it. Even the page with the abstract was filled with blue ink. The once-hidden words stood out clearly from the penciled writing.

"Cobalt Chloride," Egon murmured to himself. "Why would you write these in invisible ink?"

He went back to read the first page. The page started with a date.

> September 21, 1971 -- It's been more than a month since I accidentally trapped that demon with me. I notice that it's slowly changing. When she first arrived she was just a red formless cloud. But I can see that she's slowly taking shape. Trying to lock her away in a memory seems to have its drawbacks. She's learning from each one I've thrown her into. I've resorted to creating false memories to confuse her. But they're not as strong as the real ones.
> 
> So I decided to start this diary so I don't have to remember much. It would be safer to just write them down and forget about it rather than risk throwing her into a memory where she learns more about my life. Of course, I can't forget everything. I have a feeling she's picking up how to do differential calculus now. That's okay. As long as she doesn't learn enough that she's able to fool people into thinking she's me.
> 
> Of course, I can't discount the possibility that she'd find this diary. Writing in invisible ink should give this some small form of security.

Egon continued to read through Sam's diary, eager to learn more about what his cousin was talking about. He had thought that Maël was a male demon. But Sam kept referring to the demon as female.

Egon noted that there were long pauses in between dates during the early part of the diary and guessed that those were probably the times Sam wasn't herself. Thus she wouldn't have been able to make an entry. As time went on, the entries became a bit more regular. He scanned through the diary until he came upon the last entry written on her birthday.

> August 13, 1973 -- I'm finally going back to University this coming semester. Keeping to a strict system of rules helped a lot in staying in control. But it's becoming harder to fight this thing.
> 
> I heard Uncle Cyrus instruct Egon to keep an eye on me. I'm glad I'll be in another dorm. It gives me a better chance of keeping Strøm away from him. I do hope Egon hid that box well.
> 
> Since this is my last entry for my diary, I've decided I should write down how this demon became a part of me. I need to forget that memory. It would only be a matter of time before she throws me into that room, and I do not look forward to reliving that event all over again.

Strøm! Finally Egon had a name. He continued reading the entry detailing the events that led to the possession. As he did, his face took on a grim demeanor. He put down the diary and reached for his PKE Meter. He turned it on and immediately noticed that it had recorded a reading. He took one look at it and blanched. He put the meter down and went to his computer to research more about Strøm.

Peter soon returned with a plate of pizza. "Here you go, Egon! Slimer had cleaned out the kitchen again. I chased him out of the firehouse. He won't be back for a while. So I called for pizza delivery instead. I offered Janine a slice but she's says she needs to go home and take care of her plants." Peter noticed Egon's dour look. "Something wrong?" Peter asked, setting the plate on a table.

"We have a problem," started Egon. "That wasn't Sam's research journal. It was her diary."

"What?" questioned Peter. Egon pointed at the still open journal. Peter moved to pick it up and read the entry.

"Sam wrote everything in cobalt chloride. The heat from my machine caused the writing to appear," explained Egon.

Peter quickly read through Sam's birthday entry and shuddered. "Okay, so it isn't Maël. It's a different demon. Please tell me you found something about Strøm."

Egon turned away from his computer to face Peter. "According to Sam, Maël is the brother of Strøm. Maël's name is never mentioned in any reference. However, Strøm's name came out in spades. Every text about Strøm does briefly document Maël, but as an unnamed sibling."

Egon stood up and went to pick up his meter. "They've been around for thousands of years. They have a habit of possessing people and creating chaos. But Strøm is the powerful and chaotic big sister. It's said that she's the one responsible for the actions of Caligula, Nero, the Byzantine emperor Justin the second, Anna of Russia. Gender didn't matter. Strøm is a highly evolved succubus and draws energy from sex. Again, it doesn't matter with who as long as she gets it."

"Like the Boogieman's appetite for fear," said Peter.

"Exactly." Egon paused to adjust something in the meter. "But she benefits a lot when she's having it with her sibling, Maël. Apparently she gets such a high out of it, she ends up destroying everything within her reach. Example, Nero's burning of Rome."

"Egon, how powerful is this demon?" Peter dared to ask.

"Remember when I said that Maël is a class three?" 

Peter nodded.

Egon showed the meter to Peter. "This was on my bedside table. Those readings were recorded this morning."

Peter looked at Egon worriedly. "Strøm is a class seven?"

"A very high class seven. Possibly even higher. Sam's binding spell might be muting Strøm's emissions much like that of Maël" Egon explained. 

"There's one other thing," Egon added as he set aside the PKE meter. "Strøm has a huge learning capacity. It spent thousands of years learning from every person it's possessed."

"And now it's learning from someone whose genius rivals your own. Swell." Peter ran his hand through his hair. "I think we better go tell Ray and Winston about this predicament." 

"You do that. I'll check on our guest. We need to come up with a plan to get Strøm out of Sam," said Egon as he strode out of the lab. Peter ran to the pole and slid down to search for Ray and Winston.

Egon stood by the doorway of the bunk room. The room was dark. He could have sworn he had left the light on his lamp open. He cautiously approached his bed only to find Sam gone. His heart skipped a beat. He checked the bathroom in case Sam had gone there. But that was empty too. Egon hurried down the stairs.

"Peter!" he yelled. "Sam's gone!" Egon stopped at the landing of the ground floor. Peter, Ray, and Winston were floating several inches off the ground near Ecto-1. They looked like they were hanging by their necks with invisible rope. 

"Don't worry, Egon," Peter labored to explain. "She didn't go far."

Egon looked towards Janine's work area. There was Sam, sitting on the desk with her legs crossed in a seductive manner. Her right hand was palm side up and raised towards the floating men. She turned her sights on Egon. Her eyes glowed bright red. She sneered and licked her lips before she addressed the physicist in a low, menacing growl.

"Hello, Egon. I've been waiting for you."


	14. Redshift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Redshift" by Audiomachine](https://open.spotify.com/track/21xzmXTJDXXIyH6KnqviXH?si=ZzKY64OoSTaAYBGEabheDA)

**July 1971. Cleveland, Ohio.**

Sam was lucky enough to get away with minor injuries from the blast. Egon wasn't as lucky though. He was still in the hospital. Her uncle had been visiting her cousin for the past three days. Each time, he had tried to get Sam to come along. But Sam had some research to do.

It was Sam's third day at the library. After four hours of scouring for materials, she closed the book she was reading. She splayed her fingers out, stretching them, then relaxed. She looked up at the ceiling. Her research had gone nowhere. She had pored through every possible book that might hold information about Maël. 

Sam leaned back on her chair. She tried to remember what the being said. The name Maël connoted French origins. But the thing said it had existed for thousands of years. She searched through ancient French history, going as far back as the iron age when France was under Celtic rule. She branched off to Celtic history and whatever lands they had touched. She even researched on possible etymologies of the name. There was nothing about Maël.

"I wish there was an easier way to get resources," Sam mumbled in frustration. "Like an electronic box that just holds the world's books."

Sam closed her eyes. Maël said that Egon was a perfect vessel. So it was possible that the thing would try to get Egon again. She needed to protect Egon. But how?

She remembered how their Grandma Spengler told them stories about their ancestor Eli Spengler who captured a witch and saved a town. Sam wondered if she could do the same to Maël.

"New plan," she said to herself. She stood up and gathered the small pile of literature she had accumulated on the table.

* * *

Egon had been in the hospital for five days. Sam was told that he'd be home by tomorrow. Which meant she only had today to put her plan into action.

She had researched on various spells and found ones that seemed legitimate enough. A binding spell she chose required the used of a crystal to act as a containment vessel. That was easy enough to get from the Cats Meow Mystical Shop.

Sam waited that morning until her uncle had left for the hospital. She locked her bedroom door and brought out her backpack. She started pulling out all the materials needed for the ritual.

The ritual did not need a casting circle to be drawn. But it did need candles to be arranged and lit. Sam set four candles around her, symbolizing the four cardinal directions of north, south, east, and west. Her hands trembled so much that she had some trouble keeping them standing. She stopped for a moment after the last candle was lit. The spells required a confident caster. One who would not hesitate for a second while going through the ritual. And Sam was now a bundle of nerves.

She paused long enough to get herself together. "Whatever it takes, Sam," she said aloud to herself.

Sam set a metal lock box in front of her and opened it to reveal the crystal inside. She then reached into her pants pocket and fished out pieces of paper containing the spells. She took one last deep calming breath before she began the first part of the ritual.

Sam concentrated on the name of the demon then started chanting in a loud confident voice. 

"AUDITE HOC.  
ADQUIESCE CONSILIIS MEIS.  
TIBI AUTEM SPIRITU.  
VENI AD ME.  
VENI AD ME." 

Out of nowhere, a strong wind blew within the closed room. Sam's hair whipped behind her. Yet the candles remained lighted and steady. A low chuckle sounded within the room and a black cloud appeared in front of her.

"You have the temerity to summon?" came Maël's sinister voice. "I do not think you know what you are doing or who you are dealing with!"

Sam did not answer the demon. She took the crystal, cradled it with both hands, and began the binding spell.

"LIBERTATIBUS PERIERAT.  
ET NUNC INSCIUM.  
VESTRUM VAS SUUM.  
EGO PRAECIPIO TIDI." 

The supernatural wind blew even harder. Maël bellowed in anger. "Strøm! Help me!" screeched Maël as the crystal began to suck him in.

Sam smelled the scent of rotten eggs once again. She was surprised to hear another sound. A female voice filled the room with a loud shriek. 

She gasped as she felt an immense pain engulf her body. Still she held fast, not wanting to let go of the crystal until the spell was over. As the last of Maël entered the crystal, there was a brilliant explosion of light. Sam closed her eyes against it.

The wind stopped and silence filled the room. Sam opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window of her bedroom. But there was something very wrong. No birds chirped. The sound of children playing in the street was gone. Even the rustling of the leaves as the breeze blew through the tree outside the house was gone. It was deathly quiet.

"You poor, pitiful fool."

Sam quickly turned to look behind her. But there was no one there. It was only then that she realized that she was no longer sitting on the floor. The candles and the crystal were nowhere to be found.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with!" The same female voice filled the room once more.

Sam's pulse began to race. "Who are you?"

"I am Strøm," the voice hissed low and malevolent. "Sister to the one you have imprisoned."

Sam looked around at the floor. 

"Why are you searching for the crystal?" asked Strøm. "It is not in here."

"What did you do with it?" Sam yelled.

The entity laughed. "Ah, my dear. Samantha, is it? You don't really know what has happened at all, do you?" it said tauntingly. "Your little stunt has imprisoned all of us!"

"What are you talking about?" Sam was confused. The room suddenly began to darken. The light from the window turned blood red.

"You should read the directions thoroughly when using things you are not familiar with. The spell you used was made to bind one spirit to one vessel," Strøm began to explain. "It can't imprison more than one. But you held the crystal. Naturally you offered yourself as well." 

Strøm cackled. "Truth be told, this is not an ideal situation for me. Your spell stripped me of the power needed for me to take over your mind and body completely. But no matter. I can adapt. As long as I have you trapped in one of your memories, I can do whatever I want."

Sam's blood ran cold. She wasn't in her room. She was trapped in her own mind! "Oh. No."

Sam ran to the door to let herself out. But it would not open. 

"You will never get out of that room," bellowed Strøm. "I will keep you there until you wither and fade away! Just like everyone else I have taken over!"

Sam hurled herself against the door. But she only succeeded in bruising herself. She looked around for something to use to break the door open. Sam tried hard not to panic. Her hand went through her hair as she tried to think. She walked to the window and saw it was locked. The latch would not open. She looked out and saw nothing but a blood red mist. She couldn't see the ground. 

"This is still my mind," declared Sam. "You can't shut me away forever!"

She took a few steps back, then flung herself at the window. The glass shattered and Sam fell from what seemed to be a great height. She counted seconds before crashing to the ground in a painful heap.

"Hmm. It would seem I have underestimated you. You are a strong soul for a child. Determined and unafraid."

Sam struggled to stand up. She turned to the source of the voice. Against the mist, Sam could see something more solid yet still formless. 

"My memories! These are all my memories," Sam breathlessly replied. "I made these memories. You can't trap me here for long because I know how to get out of each one!"

"I realize that. So, I'll have to get rid of you some other way."

Strøm rushed at Sam. Sam tried to evade the demon, only to realize that she was not moving as fast as she thought. Strøm tackled the child to the ground and grabbed her arms.

Sam felt the burn of the demon's touch. "Let go! Let go of me!" she screamed.

"Give in, Samantha! It will be so much easier" hissed the demon.

Sam struggled to get the upper hand. She tried to concentrate and bring up a memory. A door materialized and opened to her right.

"Let's see how you'd like it if you get trapped in one of my memories!" said Sam.

Grabbing the demon was like trying to hold on to a slippery, wet blanket. Sam found it impossible to throw the thing into the room. So she decided to throw herself in with the demon. The move momentarily surprised Strøm. But it was just enough time for Sam to shrug the demon off her and run back out of the room. She had nearly closed the door when she felt Strøm push against it.

Sam pushed back with everything she had. Strøm's shrieking filled the air. Sam cried out as she gave one last push. She finally heard the door click shut.

The child slid down the door and sat on the ground. She could feel the door vibrate as the demon shrieked and cursed at her. Sam looked at her arms. There were faint patches of white where the demon had grabbed her. She smoothed her hand over one area and the patch disappeared. She did the same to her other arm. She looked normal again, but didn't feel like it. She couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Sam stood up, breathed in deeply, and exhaled.

Sam opened her eyes. Daylight was streaming through her bedroom window. Outside, Birds were chirping. Children were playing. She was still seated on the floor. The candles around her had snuffed out. The crystal was still cradled in her hands. She raised the crystal against the light and saw the core had turned black. She gently put the crystal back in the safe deposit box and locked it.

Her head ached. She looked at the clock on her bedside. It would be a few more hours before her uncle would be back from the hospital. She decided to take a nap. She left the box on the floor and got up to move to her bed.

Sam woke up. Daylight was streaming through her bedroom window. Outside, birds were chirping. Children were playing. Sam saw herself seated on the floor. The candles around her had snuffed out.

"Wait. What?" Sam was confused as she saw herself unlock the box and take out the crystal. Then she noticed the doppleganger's eyes. They were blood red. 

"No!" Sam screamed. Sam lunged at her double and was surprised to go right through it instead. Sam quickly got up and looked around. She ran for the open window. "I don't understand!" she said to herself. She noticed a door that was out of place from her bedroom. She ran for the door and slammed her body against it. It hardly budged. Sam continued to slam against the door, feeling the wood splinter. She desperately slammed herself against the door until it finally broke open.

Once out, she saw Strøm again. She lunged for the demon. Strøm was quick to grab Sam by the throat. Sam gasped as she felt the burn of the demon's touch again.

"You're getting to be a nuisance, Samantha!" Strøm growled. "You think you can keep me in your memories for long? You are a child! You don't have enough strong memories to keep me in!" 

"Oh really now?" Sam gurgled. Sam concentrated to bring up another memory. Once again a door appeared and opened. She tried to drag herself to it.

Strøm laughed. "No, my dear! I'm not falling for that again!"

Sam realized that the demon was a bit more solid than earlier. She struggled to get as close to the door as possible, and shoved the demon into the room with all her might. She quickly slammed the door shut before the thing could recover.

Sam breathed heavily as she smoothed her hand on her throat. She was now feeling the effects of the demon's touch on her. It was like parts of her was slowly being eroded, making her weaker. She had to avoid getting touched by that demon again. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

Nothing.

Sam frowned. "What the—?" Sam shook her head and concentrated harder. She took another deep breath and exhaled.

Sam woke up. Daylight was streaming through her bedroom window. The birds were chirping. Children were playing. She found herself seated on the floor. Her hand was still holding on to the crystal. She put it back in the box and locked it. Then she pinched herself. Sam breathed a sigh of relief to find that she was truly awake.

She leaned back against the side of her bed and reviewed what had happened. She was trapped in an event that was still being recorded as a memory. Sam didn't even know that was possible. But it wasn't her memory. It was Strøm's. The demon can make it's own memories that are harder for Sam to get out of.

If she sleeps and Strøm gets out, she was powerless to stop the demon from trapping her in another memory. "Like waking up in a dream," she murmured. Not knowing if she was really awake or trapped was disconcerting. 

She needed stronger memories to make it harder for the demon to get out of. As she thought of this, she heard the demon's voice in her head.

What Sam couldn't figure out was why she didn't immediately wake up when she wanted to.

_My! What a rather interesting memory you've put me in. I think I'll stick around here for a while and see what I can learn._

Sam paled as she heard the demon laugh cruelly.

She looked at the box. The box would never be safe around her. She had to get rid of it. If she buried it, Strøm might discover the memory and dig it up. She needed to have someone else hide it. But first, she needed to put some extra protection on it before doing so.

* * *

Egon stared at Sam as they sat on the porch. He could tell that she was extremely tired.

"Are you okay, Sam?" he asked worriedly. "What happened to you?"

"I'm fine, Egon," Sam said assuredly. "I'd like to give you something." Sam reached into her bag and gave Egon the metal lock box and the key.

"What's this?" Egon queried again.

"It's a secret," Sam replied. "A secret that I'd like you to help me keep."

Egon looked inquiringly at Sam. "May I open it?"

Sam shook her head. "No. Promise me you would never open this box. Please?"

Egon nodded. "I promise."

"Make sure this box never leaves your side. Bring it with you wherever you go. Hide the box and the key separately. Don't ever tell anyone where it is. Not even me. Would you do that for me, Egon?"

Egon nodded again. He could see the sadness in Sam's eyes even as she smiled.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Sam?" Egon asked again.

"I don't think there's anything you can do if there was."


	15. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Who Will Save You Now" by Les Friction ](https://open.spotify.com/track/4zPDjQRYgBbk1ZcNHutQgb?si=APG1TsZPRQ--mPmJ-sCMTQ)

**October 1987. Ghostbuster Headquarters.**

Egon's possessed cousin stared at him intently. Her blood-red eyes glistened with mischief. She absentmindedly moved the fingers of her raised hand. As she did, the men she held hostage bobbed up and down in the air. Sometimes they were low enough to stand on their toes and catch their breath. Then they would be raised again ever so slightly, cutting off their oxygen supply. As they began to lose consciousness, she would bring them down once more to let them breathe. She let out a low chuckle as she enjoyed her play.

"Strøm, I believe?" asked Egon flatly.

"I see Samantha has finally told you about me!" Strøm stated a little too giddily. "And how much have you learned?"

"Enough," Egon deadpanned.

Strøm chuckled again. "I've been trapped here for so long," she started. "A forced pairing that did not allow me full control of her mind and body. She has an exceptionally strong spirit. So cursedly persistent! She should have been mine long ago, the annoying brat! INSTEAD SHE HAS DELAYED A PRIZE SO RIGHTFULLY MINE FOR SIXTEEN DAMN YEARS!" Strøm's voice rose in volume as she spoke. The objects in the room shook from the rage in her voice. She then paused, closed her eyes and purred. "But I've finally worn her down. Soon she will be subdued permanently." She opened her eyes. "And I can finally have unhampered fun!"

"Why Sam?" Egon asked as he eyed his friends.

"At first it was her telekinesis. When I saw her bring down dear, old Boogieman I thought it would be such fun to use. Especially when I enhance it with my own power." Strøm shifted her legs, crossing them the other way. She wiggled her fingers again, eliciting strangled sounds from the men. "As you can see." 

"But when I saw her connect with you. Ah! It was like finding treasure! I've learned how to use her telepathy to get into the heads of the insecure or impressionable. Find their deepest secrets. Manipulate their feelings." She paused to lick her lips again. Her gaze at Egon turned predatory. "But what I really look forward to is using the special telepathic bond that you and Samantha have. To be able to experience climax on a physical and paraphysical plane! And with my brother possessing you? Just thinking of the potential pleasure I can achieve just makes me so wet!"

Egon took a step towards her. "Let them go!" he ordered.

"Who? These men?" Strøm gestured with her head at the floating Ghostbusters. "Only if you let my brother go."

"Never!"

Strøm narrowed her eyes and frowned at Egon. "Then they die."

"Egon. Don't." Winston sputtered. He tried to say something else, but Egon couldn't understand what he said.

"How can I trust that you'd set them free?"

Strøm looked at him thoughtfully. "Fine. As a token of good faith, I shall do as you wish." Her hand lowered, letting her captives land on their feet. Then with a flick of her wrist, all three men were sent flying out of the firehouse and dumped onto the street. Another wave of her hand and the door of the firehouse slammed shut.

Peter was the first to scramble to his feet. He ran up to the door and turned the knob, only to find it locked.

"I've done my part. Now go get my brother," ordered Strøm.

"I don't think so," Egon said as he started to approach.

Peter banged furiously at the door. "Egon!" he screamed as loud as his burning throat would allow. "She still has Janine!"

Egon stopped in his tracks. 

Strøm laughed maniacally and clapped her hands. Janine floated into view from behind the cabinets. "One should never show all their cards on the table. Especially this one."

Janine's toes just barely brushed the ground. Her hands stayed on her sides as she floated stiff as a board. 

"You know, Egon. I was going through Janine's mind and I found out something very interesting." Strøm brought Janine closer to her, just near enough to reach out with her left hand and grab one of the secretary's breasts. The demon watched Egon's reaction. 

Egon glared at Strøm. His lips curled, baring his teeth.

"You care for her very much. Remember that time when you were, what did you call yourselves? Crimebusters? Yes, when you were catching humans instead of ghosts. That was sweet of you to save her from her kidnappers and hugging her like that." The demon tweaked Janine's nipple through her blouse, making the secretary gasp in pain. "I don't blame you. She feels very good. She would make a wonderful plaything. Even when she's dead."

Strøm raised her left hand and curled her fingers into a grasping motion. Janine whimpered. "Frankly, I don't even need to do this hand waving. I can just think her life away." She brought down her hand to her side as Janine began to choke. "I just love the drama of it, you know?" The demon gave a sudden burst of laughter.

"Stop!" yelled Egon. 

Strøm immediately stopped laughing. She was grinning madly at the scientist, her eyes wild. Janine wheezed as color returned to her face.

Egon breathed deeply. He held his hands up in a pleading manner. "Don't hurt her. I'm going to get Maël."

Strøm shook her head. "I can't promise you that. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'll tell you what, Egon. Run up to your lab and get my brother. But you better hurry before Janine blacks out." A malicious smile played on Strøm's lips as Janine began to gurgle.

Egon sprinted up the stairs and into his lab. He quickly grabbed the metal lock box from the drawer. He then hurried to the bunk room and grabbed another box from the drawer of his bedside table. He opened the box and retrieved a key. Egon ran for the pole and slid down to the ground floor.

The physicist hesitated at first. Janine's face had turned blue. He wasn't sure if she was still alive.

Then Janine made a desperate wheeze. 

Egon turned his attention back to the demon. "Here it is!" Egon exclaimed as he stretched out the box to Janine's captor. 

"Excellent!" Strøm squealed. "Now. Open it!"

"Why don't you do it?" Egon asked. He stretched out his other arm to show the key.

Strøm shook her head again. "Ha. Ha. I am not falling for that again," she said. Strøm's expression darkened. "Open. It."

Egon stood still.

Strøm's blood red eyes glowed even more. Her hands curled up into fists. "OPEN IT OR SHE DIES!" Strøm screamed. 

Janine started to tear up. "Egon. No."

Egon finally moved to unlock box. He opened it and took out the crystal.

"Break it," Strøm ordered. 

Egon stared at Janine.

"Break the crystal, Egon Spengler!" the demon shrieked in an unworldly voice that shook the room.

Egon held the crystal high above his head and slammed it hard on the floor. The crystal shattered into tiny fragments. From these fragments wisps of dark smoke arose and formed into a cloud that swirled around him. Memories of that day he was first possessed by this same demon came flooding back to him.

The physicist fell on his hands and knees. He felt pins and needles on his skin as the possession went under way. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. He grunted, not wanting to scream despite feeling the escalating pain. He could hear Strøm screaming and giggling maniacally. Then he heard Maël's low chuckle.

Moments later, the physicist drew in a deep breath and opened his eyes. He slowly stood up. He grinned at the woman seated on the table. "Hello, Strøm. I missed you."

Strøm stopped laughing and looked at Janine. "I guess I don't need you anymore," she said as she brought the secretary's face close to hers. "For now, that is. But I shall have you again. I can't bear to not hear your moans for too long." Strøm languidly licked at Janine's cheek before she threw her out of the firehouse.

Peter, Ray, and Winston were right outside the building's door when it opened. Janine slammed right into them, sending them all sprawling once more on the pavement. The doors slammed shut one more time.

"Janine! Are you okay?" Winston asked, concerned. The secretary's throat was still burning. But she managed to nod and let Winston know she was going to be fine.

Strøm slid off the desk and sauntered to the blond scientist. "It has been too long, Maël," she purred. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down so she could give him a deep sensual kiss. She jumped up on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. His arms wrapped around her body, hugging her close. She eagerly clung to him, enjoying the feel of his body against hers. She moaned as she hungrily sucked on his tongue. Strøm finally released him from her grasp and took a step back. She gazed into his eyes.

"Let's go up to the roof," Strøm suggested. "The full moon is beautiful. Perfect for some long overdue pleasure."

"Why don't you go on ahead?" he said. "I just need to prepare a welcome gift for you."

A corner of Strøm's mouth lifted. As she climbed the stairs, she looked over her shoulder. "Don't take too long. I have a surprise for you too."

As soon as Strøm was assuredly out of sight and earshot, Egon winced and balled his hands into fists. Years of the Spengler clan's strict mental training had enabled him to prevent the class three demon from taking control of his mind. It was still difficult as Maël continued to fight to have him. Egon quickly went to his closet and grabbed an empty trap. He let the trap fall to the floor, closed his eyes, and stomped on the pedal.

Maël screamed as the trap effortlessly sucked him out of Egon. Once the trap closed, Egon fell to his knees. He felt like he was going to throw up as his head throbbed. A few deep breaths and he felt well enough to stand up again.

He had to act fast. Egon opened Ray's closet and reached for another empty trap. He quickly ran up the building towards the roof. In his mind, he played out his plan to trap Strøm. He had only one chance.

Once at the door to the rooftop, he paused to take a deep breath. He hid the trap behind him, turned the knob, and walked out onto the roof.


	16. Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Heart of the Darkness (feat. Sam Tinnesz)" by Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz](https://open.spotify.com/track/7pFC5bvXuO0k1wrcQYlG06?si=2F1hynfzQbisPCEVjmxA5Q)

Egon stepped out onto the rooftop. The full moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky, giving just enough illumination for him to see the figure of his possessed cousin as she stood at the edge looking out into the city.

Egon slowly walked towards the figure, gravel crunching under his boots at each step. He was halfway across before the figure acknowledged his presence.

"Isn't this such a glorious sight?" Strøm turned around to face Egon. She smiled and stepped away from the edge. As she walked towards Egon she gave a slow twirl, flinging her arms out on her sides. "I have waited for this moment!" she said as she did so. When she faced him again, she smiled sweetly. "I can't wait to begin! Except we have one tiny problem." 

Strøm lunged at Egon and grabbed him by his collar. Egon yelped and dropped the trap in surprise.

Strøm's eyes glowed once again. "You're not Maël," she seethed. Strøm threw him across the roof, nearly sending him over the edge of the building. Egon grunted as he pulled himself back up on the roof.

From the street, Janine screamed out Egon's name as she saw him dangling. The other Ghostbusters could only watch helplessly. They let go of the breath they unconsciously held as they saw their colleague climb back on to safety.

Egon quickly scrambled for the trap. But Strøm reached it first and kicked it farther away from him. The Ghostbuster adjusted his movements to tackle Strøm instead. Strøm handily dodged his attack. Egon found himself face down on the gravel, the rough surface of the roof scratching his hands.

Strøm walked to Egon's left just as he was pushing himself up from the ground. She sneered. "Do you take me for a fool, Egon Spengler?" She kicked him forcefully, rolling him to his back. The Ghostbuster took a sharp breath as he grabbed the upper left side of his abdomen where her heavy boot hit. He hoped his spleen was not injured from the sharp kick he had just received.

Strøm knelt down, straddling Egon's chest. Her legs pinned down his arms to his sides. "I already knew that my brother failed to control you the moment I saw your pretty blue eyes!" she said before delivering a powerful backhand to his head that sent Egon's glasses flying off his face. "I knew it was still you when the telepathic link failed!" She punctuated her sentence with another powerful backhand. "I knew you trapped Maël the moment you stepped onto the roof!" Another backhand split his lip. "You're just like your annoying stubborn cousin." Another backhand. Egon began to see spots in his already blurred vision.

Strøm let out a low guttural growl. She brought her face near Egon's. She grinned. "I'm afraid you are no longer a viable option for my brother. No matter," she said. "One of your colleagues turns out to be just as compatible with Sam's telepathy. The best part? He is so easy to manipulate."

Strøm sat back up and caressed Egon's face. "I have to admit, you were such a wonderful kisser. Your mouth tasted so sweet." Her hand traveled down to rest on Egon's chest. "I bet you would have been a wonderful fuck too." Her grin disappeared. "Such a shame that I have to kill you."

Egon felt a pressure slowly build up around his chest. 

"Thank you for teaching me how to operate the trap. As soon as I release Maël, I will have him go after the spare. And I'll finally be able to satiate my hunger."

Egon's eyes bulged as he gasped for air. He could feel something grip his heart. Strøm was literally squeezing the life out of him. He groaned in pain as he felt his heart start to give out. He shut his eyes as he started to tear up. "Sam. Wake. Up." 

The pressure around his chest suddenly eased. Egon took deep shaky breaths. He opened his eyes and found his cousin still looking at him. Her eyes were back to their original color, but were glazed over. Her expression was blank, like something in her had switched off. When she started to fall backwards, Egon quickly pulled his arms out from under her legs and grabbed her hands.

Egon found himself standing up and enveloped in a strange scarlet fog. He spun around, trying to figure out what happened. He saw a familiar door, and immediately knew where he was.

"Sam!" Egon called out. He ran to the door and immediately noticed that something was wrong. It was slightly ajar and battered. The door fell apart as he opened it. He walked in and found himself in Sam's old bedroom. The same fog clouded the area.

He could see Sam's thirteen-year-old self kneeling in the middle of the room. She stared incredulously at the bloody kitchen knife she held on her right, then at her left arm. A long, bloody gash could be seen that traversed up her arm from near the inside bend of her elbow all the way to her palm. Blood streaked her clothes and the area surrounding her. She dropped the knife and started screaming for her uncle.

Cyrus ran into the room and was dumbfounded by what he saw. "Sam! What did you do?" he said as he frantically looked for something to use on his niece's arm.

Sam continued to sob and scream hysterically.

Cyrus quickly applied a tourniquet on Sam's arm. He tried desperately to calm down his niece.

"Come on. We need to get you to the hospital." Cyrus said as he helped her up. As he tried to get Sam to stand up, she lost consciousness. The room abruptly went dark and the memory repeated itself like a broken record.

Egon stepped away from the memory, disturbed by what he had just witnessed. He continued his search for his cousin. "Sam! Where are you?" he called out. As he ran through the mist, he came upon another memory. The door to this one looked like it had been blasted off its hinges. He stepped in.

The location was unfamiliar to Egon. He found a calendar hanging on the wall. It was the year 1979. Egon figured that this was in Edinburgh when Sam was in the early part of her doctorate degree. The red mist made it hard to see clearly in the dimly lit room.

"SHIT!" 

Egon followed the voice to find Sam standing to one side of the room, visibly agitated at something. He followed her line of sight, and found the bloodied body of a man. He couldn't tell if the man was still breathing.

"Shit-shit-shit! What did you do? What did you do?" Sam babbled, her hand running through her hair.

"Samantha?"

Egon and Sam looked up to find a man standing by the doorway. Egon had never seen him before. He studied the stranger's clean-shaven square face. The man looked at Sam, then at the body.

"How—how do you know my name?" asked Sam.

The man slowly walked towards Sam. "Samantha, tell me what happened here," he said gently. He gave a hand signal to someone behind him.

Sam took a step back. "Who are you?" she asked nervously.

"It's okay," he answered. Two men in military uniform came in and started to tend to the body. "I'm here to help."

Sam's pupils dilated. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" she said, her voice rising. 

"Calm down, Samantha. My name is Andrew Volign. Cyrus asked me to keep an eye on you," the man explained.

"Uncle Cyrus?" Sam shook her head as she looked at the floor.

Volign continued to approach slowly. "Let me help you, Samantha. You're having an episode."

Sam's head snapped up. "No!" Sam yelled. "This isn't real!"

"It's okay, Samantha," Volign said as he continued his attempt to calm her down.

Egon noticed the man reach into his pocket and take out a syringe. 

"THIS ISN'T REAL!" Sam suddenly made a break for the window. Andrew ran to tackle her to the ground.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" Sam screamed as she struggled against him.

"It's going to be fine, Samantha!" Volign said as he successfully injected the sedative into her. She gasped in surprise. "This is just to calm you down, okay? You'll have a nice long nap and everything will be better when you wake up."

Sam was now crying. Her desperate struggling slowly ceased. "No! Please! I can't go to sleep! I can't let her shut me away! I can't go to sleep! I can't… go… to… sleep…"

The memory blacked out and reset itself.

As Egon left, he noticed the red mist had grown so thick that it became difficult to navigate.

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" Egon heard Sam yell. He followed the sound until he came upon another memory. He could see Volign by the doorway.

"Sam, be reasonable," said Volign as he tried to pacify the angry woman. "It's taking too long for you to come back. We need to do something now. Call your cousin. I'm sure he can find a way to get rid of Strøm."

"For the last time, no! I don't want to let this thing get anywhere near him," argued Sam.

"We need Egon! What if next time you're gone you don't come back?" pleaded Volign.

"Then you do what we agreed you'd do. Shoot me." With that, Sam slammed the door on the man's face.

"Samantha!" Volign yelled and banged the door repeatedly. "Samantha Blackburn! Open this door! Please!"

Sam started crying and gripped her head. She gritted her teeth as she waited for Volign to stop and go away.

Then she screamed.

A shock wave went through the room, destroying everything. Furniture was upended. Glass and pottery shards littered the floor. Sam still gripped her head and sobbed in pain. Pieces of wood and glass continued to vibrate.

She went to a wall and banged her head several times against it until blood dripped from her forehead. Sam stopped. She took heaving breaths. Everything around her stopped vibrating. Sam reached up to wipe the blood from her forehead. She put her bloodied hand on the wall as she slid down to the floor.

Egon heard the phone ring. It took some time for Sam to acknowledge the sound. She seated herself against the wall and pulled the phone towards her by its cable.

"Hello?" came her gruff, irritated voice.

"Who is this?" There was a pause as she listened to the response. "Egon? How did you get my number?"

"Egon."

The physicist turned around, trying to figure out where the faint call of his name came from. "Sam?" He quickly exited the memory and started to look for her again. "Sam! Talk to me!"

"You're getting warm," came Sam's voice. "Warmer. Warmer."

Egon finally found Sam slumped against another door. The door looked intact. Sam was a different matter. She looked transparent.

"Sam!" he cried, running towards her side.

"Sorry for the mess," Sam smiled wanly at her cousin. "Couldn't figure out how to clean this up," she said weakly.

Egon helped her sit up properly. "What's happening to you?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fading," Sam answered. "Sixteen years of getting burned by a demon can do that to you, you know?"

The door behind Sam rattled. Egon could hear Strøm's ethereal high-pitched scream. "I don't know how long this door will hold," Sam said. "It's my strongest memory."

"We can still do something about this. Ray can find a counter spell and—" 

Sam laughed dryly. "There is no counter spell, Egon. I looked for one. I tried. There is only one way to get her out of me. But I couldn't. I—" She stopped as the door rattled again. Egon heard the wood splinter.

"Sam, how else do we get Strøm if we don't have a counter spell?" Egon asked.

Sam looked at her cousin sadly. "Should a considerable amount of trauma be applied to the central nervous system, it can weaken the mesh and release the spirit, be it human or possessor, from the body."

Egon recognized the quote from her journal. His blood ran cold.

"I'm sorry. I could have done this a long time ago. But I couldn't find a way to transfer her to another vessel once I—"

"No! There has to be another way!" Egon countered.

Sam gently placed her hand on Egon's cheek. "Egon, please. You can see I'm fading. I no longer have the energy to take control of my body. It's already taking so much effort to keep this connection with you open. I don't think I'll survive one more encounter with Strøm. You have to do this, Egon. You have to trap her or she will kill you and go after someone else."

Egon wanted to argue. But was distracted by another crack of splintering wood.

"Egon. Please."

Egon looked closely at Sam's face. She looked tired, yet her eyes still mirrored her determination.

Sam moved to hug her cousin. "You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, Sam," Egon replied as he returned her hug tightly.

Sam hesitated to release Egon from her grasp. "I wish we had more time." The door behind her shook violently once more. She took a deep breath and swallowed. "Go."

Egon blinked at the body that was straddled on top of him. Her face was still expressionless. He sat up and pulled her towards him, giving Sam a tight hug as he tried to think of how he was to carry out the plan. He looked towards the edge of the roof.

Strøm continued to screech and bang at the door. The wood continued to splinter. Sam stood up with great effort and walked several steps away. She faced the door, ready for one last fight.

Egon gently lay Sam down. He got up to quickly retrieve his glasses, then went back to his cousin. He looked at her, second-guessing what he was about to do. When he saw the fingers on her left hand twitch, he drew in a deep breath and picked her up in his arms.

Sam flexed the fingers of her left hand as she waited for the inevitable. The door exploded, splinters flying towards Sam. Strøm marched out of the red mist. Sam stared at the succubus that had now become her exact replica except for the murderous blood-red glow in its eyes. 

"Remember what I said, Strøm?" she said defiantly. "I go down, I'm taking you with me."

Strøm gave a blood-curdling shriek as she attacked Sam.

Egon made deliberate steps towards the edge of the roof. He looked at Sam one more time. Her fingers twitched again. Her eyes flickered between brown and red. Egon tenderly kissed Sam's forehead.

The Ghostbusters and Janine stared up the building. "What are you doing, Egon?" mumbled Peter.

Strøm's hands held Sam's throat tightly. "You and your petty threats. It's over, Samantha! I've won!"

Sam fought against the demon's grasp. She needed to buy Egon as much time as she could. Tears started to flow down her cheeks as she felt the intense burn of Strøm's touch.

Sam wailed as she began to disappear.

Egon threw Sam off the firehouse.

Egon saw Sam's eyes turn red for a moment before she hit the concrete. Everyone on the ground was stunned. They stared at the body crumpled on the sidewalk. Blood trickled from behind her head. Her lifeless eyes stared out into the night. Then a stream of red smoke poured out of her open mouth. It gathered on top of the body. When the last of the smoke left Sam, it gave a piercing ethereal shriek. Everyone on the ground covered their ears. The demon swiftly flew up towards the roof.

As Strøm sped for Egon, the Ghostbuster ran for the trap. He had just enough time to grab it when the demon came up behind him.

"You will die for this, Egon Spengler!" Strøm threatened.

Egon spun around and aimed the trap at Strøm. "Not today," answered Egon as he stomped on the pedal. The trap opened. the demon howled as it tried to escape the pull. As Strøm was steadily sucked in, she gave one last outcry. 

"I SWEAR I'LL BE BACK, EGON SPENGLER! BUT YOU'LL NEVER HAVE YOUR PRECIOUS SAMANTHA! YOU'VE LOST HER! YOU'VE LOST HER!"

When the trap closed shut, Egon fell to his knees.


	17. Last Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["What a Wonderful World (feat. Shadow Royale) by Joseph William Morgan, Shadow Royale](https://open.spotify.com/track/345o29nD2Da1hpm0Cz4KAc?si=V8p96Z2DSbyDFTt-gaRSWg)

The enormity of what he had done began to sink into Egon. He had killed the very person he had promised to protect. How would he face his family? His friends?

He buried his face in his hands. He felt too numb to cry.

"Hurry."

Egon pulled his hands away from his face. He thought he was hearing things.

"Hurry." 

The voice was hardly audible. Egon looked up and saw what seemed like a small translucent white vapor floating near the edge of the roof. It flew down out of sight. Then flew up again. Egon stood up and approached it. He ran to the edge of the roof as the vapor flew down again. He observed its flight path. He saw his friends huddled around Sam's body. Someone had closed Sam's eyes. Peter was kneeling by Sam's side and held on to her hand. Janine was crying on Ray's shoulder as he tried to console her. Winston stood behind Peter.

The vapor flew to the body, unnoticed by the mourners. It made an attempt to enter it, but flew back to Egon when it failed. 

"Hurry."

The sound of Sam's voice jolted the Ghostbuster to his senses. Egon grabbed the trap and bolted for the door back into the building. He ran to his lab to drop the trap off on a table. He grabbed the PKE meter from its charging cable. He rushed out, slid down the pole, and sprinted out of the building.

"Move away!" Egon shouted. 

Peter looked at Egon, tears streaming down his face as he continued to hold on to Sam's hand.

Egon thrust the PKE meter at Ray. "Start taking readings."

"Of what?" Ray asked, still in shock.

"What's that?" Winston pointed at the vapor hovering over Sam's body.

"We don't have time! Peter, I said move away!" Egon shoved his friend away and knelt by Sam's side. He felt for Sam's pulse and found none. "Janine, call the paramedics!" He quickly but carefully adjusted Sam's position in preparation for CPR. "Ray! Give me a reading on that vapor!"

Ray turned on the meter. "I'm getting a very weak class one! But the ionization is getting stronger!"

Egon swore as he fumbled to remove Sam's bra from underneath her shirt. He barely heard the screech of tires. A car door opened and slammed shut before he heard the vehicle drive away.

"Move your hands, Egon!" 

Egon looked up to see Andrew Volign drop to his knees. 

Volign took out a pocket knife and ripped Sam's shirt enough to access her bra. He swiftly cut through the underwear and pulled the cups to either side. "Go!" he ordered. 

Egon began mentally counting his chest compressions on Sam. "Ray!" he shouted after he counted ten.

"Mid-level class one! At this rate it would breach class two in five minutes!" answered Ray.

"What happens when that reaches class two?" asked Volign.

"We lose her!" yelled Egon. He paused to breathe into Sam's mouth.

"Paramedics are on their way," exclaimed Janine as she ran back to them.

"How long before they get here?" asked Volign.

"Ten minutes."

"Too long," Volign complained. He stood up, grabbing the radio that hung from his belt. "Volign here! I need you to move in now! What's your ETA?"

The radio crackled. "Five minutes, sir."

"Get here in two!" ordered Volign as he watched Egon.

The vapor continued its attempt to reenter the body.

Egon kept up his CPR. The words from Sam's journal kept repeating in his head.

> It is possible for an ejected human spirit to re-enter the deceased body if the body’s central nervous system could fire again and the spirit has not ionized enough to the point that the electrical mesh will not be able to contain it.

Egon stopped again to give Sam another breath of air. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "Ray!" he yelled. 

"Still class one but steadily rising!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Volign screamed into the radio.

"Almost there, sir!"

A screech of wheels was heard as a van made a sharp turn around the corner. It stopped right in front of the firehouse and its door slid open.

"Hook her up to the electrocardiogram!" ordered Volign.

One uniformed man brought out the device and started hooking it up to Sam. He turned on the machine.

Egon could hear the reassuring sound of a normal sinus rhythm from the EKG. But he noticed that the vapor still couldn't enter the body.

Volign felt for Sam's carotid artery. "We've got pulseless electrical activity! Egon, don't stop CPR!" 

Egon swore under his breath as he took a quick glance at the vapor still attempting to enter the body. 

> The balance between the body's electrical impulses and the human spirit's psycho-kinetic energy is thought to be very delicate…

Egon realized that there was practically no room for error. Right now Sam's own PKE was too weak to penetrate her body's electrical mesh. Egon didn't know how high the PKE needed to be in order to get back in her body. But he knew that if her PKE was too strong, that same mesh won't be able to hold her in. Sam needed to get the exact balance or she would be gone forever. 

"Hook her to an IV and administer 1 milligram of epinephrine!" yelled Volign. 

"High class one!" called out Ray.

"Please, Sam! Please!" Egon pleaded as he paused once again to breathe into his cousin.

Volign continued to monitor for a pulse. 

"It's dead!" said Ray.

Egon looked at his colleague. "What?!"

"The meter. It went dead just as it was about to breach class two. I've lost the reading!"

"Yes! We have a pulse!" Volign yelled triumphantly. 

Egon stopped the CPR and stared at Volign, at Sam, then at his colleagues. "Did anyone see where the vapor went?" 

No one could give an answer.

Volign started to bark orders. "Get her on the gurney! Egon, get in the van!"

"Where are you taking her?" yelled Peter as Volign's men quickly loaded Sam into the vehicle.

"Columbia Medical." Volign answered.

"Will you follow?" Egon asked the others.

"We'll be right behind you, Egon," answered Peter. Egon nodded and boarded the van.

* * *

Egon stared blankly at the wall as he sat in the waiting room. The place was thankfully quiet, save for the whispers of other people waiting for word on their own loved ones.

Earlier, Volign excused himself to make a call to Cyrus. But before he left, he asked Egon if he wanted to let his uncle know the truth or if he wanted to cover it up.

Egon gave Volign a confused look.

"I previously covered up Sam's real condition from Cyrus on your cousin's request. I thought you might like to have the same choice," explained Andrew.

Egon nodded and opted to tell the truth.

Egon's friends attempted to talk to him. But he mostly remained unresponsive. After a while, they decided to give him the space he needed and situated themselves at the other end of the room.

Egon had already been waiting for thirty minutes, eager for news on Sam who was still in surgery. He was startled out of his trance when he heard someone's voice. He looked up at the man standing next to him. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"May I join you?" Volign asked kindly.

Egon nodded.

Volign sat next to Egon. He handed him a cup of coffee.

"No, thank you," Egon said.

"Come on. You'll need it," pressed Volign. "I don't want Sam screaming in my face when she notices you're dozing off from lack of sleep. So either you go get forty winks or you drink this."

Egon gave a faint smile and accepted the coffee. "I see Sam has got you wrapped around her finger."

"It's more like an agreement," said Volign. "I follow what she wants most of the time. She lets me do my job."

"I see. What is your job, Andrew?"

"Call me Volign. Only my wife calls me Andrew."

Volign leaned back on the chair as he began to explain.

"I'm an Army officer and a medical doctor. I've also been working for DARPA a long time now."

Egon's eyebrows rose. "DARPA. I remember Uncle Cyrus worked there for some time on a project. Is that how you met him?"

"Yes," answered Volign. "We stayed good friends after he left to take care of Sam when her arm got slashed. When your cousin moved to Edinburgh, Cyrus called in a favor. Sam wasn't supposed to know she was being monitored. I had people following her. The first time we fomally met, I happened to be visiting Edinburgh. My men reported that Sam was growing violent. When I arrived at the scene, she was in hysterics. Would have jumped out of the window ten stories up if I didn't tackle her. I sedated her."

Volign paused to take a sip out of his coffee. "Then five seconds later Strøm appeared and tried to kill me. Cyrus had warned me about Sam's more violent personality. But after seeing those red eyes, I knew I was dealing with something beyond natural."

"I never told Cyrus about Strøm upon Sam's request. In return, she agreed to let me continue to monitor her. Mostly so she doesn't end up hurting anyone else. When I learned that you set up shop as a Ghostbuster, I started trying to convince her to let you help. We'd have shouting matches every time I brought it up." Volign let out a low chuckle. "Well, she was doing most of the shouting. I swear that woman has quite a pair of lungs on her. Could compete with my wife in making me deaf by the time I'm fifty. I'm just glad my wife doesn't have the power to throw a cleaver at me with a single thought. Anyway, she refused to see you. She wanted to protect you from that demon."

"I would usually check on Sam every morning. See if she woke up as herself or that thing. Yesterday I had some business to attend to so I wasn't able to check until late afternoon. I arrived to find her apartment completely torn up. I wasn't surprised since we had a nasty argument the night before. Then I noticed her suitcase was gone."

"Strøm used to just leave a location and Sam would wake up who-knows-where with no money or papers on her. She noticed that Strøm would sometimes pick up the first bag it sees. So Sam filled that suitcase with essentials: Identification, money, clothes, a first aid kit. She put it by the door in the hopes that Strøm would grab it. We had no idea if it would actually work."

Egon gave a low chuckle. "Sam always had a backup plan."

Volign nodded. "Yes, she did." He drank up the rest of his coffee. "I found out Strøm mugged someone in the apartment building. A nice young lady with purple hair. Took her passport and other identification. Strøm did a good job of covering their trail. I lost them at Washington National Airport. This morning I finally decided to call up Cyrus and tell him Sam was missing. He said he gave you her number recently. So I got here as soon as I could."

Egon sipped from his cup as he thought of what to say. "Thank you." He looked at Volign. "If you hadn't been here, I'm sure I would have lost Sam."

"You're welcome," said Volign. "I only wished I got here sooner. Then maybe you didn't have to do that."

Egon shook his head. "Sam was right. In all our cases, the only time any ghost escaped was when the containment broke. I had to break Sam to release Strøm."

There was a short silence between the two men before Volign spoke up again. "Do you think Sam made it? Is she back in her body?"

Egon looked at his hands. "I'm not sure. No one noticed where her spirit went after the meter lost power. It just vanished. For all I know, we've failed and Sam will stay in a vegetative state for the rest of her life."

Egon shifted in his seat. "Volign, I saw a man in Sam's apartment. But her memory blacked out right after you sedated her. What happened to him?"

Volign hummed. "Sam told me about that secret handshake you two had when you were kids." He sat up straight and looked Egon in the eye. His mouth set in a hard line. "I'm not at liberty to tell you what happened to that man. I never even told Sam what happened to him. She went through a lot of shit when Strøm was with her. I figured she didn't need any more stress. I'm surprised Sam didn't go stark raving mad from all the abuse that thing put her through."

Volign put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "If Sam survives this, she's going to need your help dealing with the proverbial demons that Strøm left behind." He took back his hand and sat back in his seat with his arms folded.

The two men silently stared down the wall once again.

"Sam threw a cleaver at you?"

"Heh! Yeah. She gave me a nice flat top. Saved me a trip to the barbers that day."


	18. Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:  
> ["Say Something" by A Great Big World, Christian Aguilera](https://open.spotify.com/track/6Vc5wAMmXdKIAM7WUoEb7N?si=F7BeaX6cQuOrs0Q_9LIBcA)

It had been three days since the incident with Strøm. Sam had sustained fractures to her ribs, right arm, and left leg. The swelling to her brain had her in a coma.

Cyrus arrived during the first twelve hours. Egon began to apologize when his uncle cut him off. Cyrus only wanted to know if the demon was truly gone. When Egon assured him that Strøm was locked away in their containment unit, Cyrus smiled and hugged his nephew.

Egon would have never left Sam's side if it weren't for the prodding of his uncle. They would take turns between staying with Sam and going back to the firehouse for sleep, food, or a shower.

Egon stared at the hand he had been holding for the past couple of hours since he started his shift. Dark bags had formed under his eyes. Every now and then he would pat her palm with his fingers, hoping that something would happen.

"Please wake up," he murmured as he tapped her palm again. "Please wake up."

The steady beep from the various monitors in the room was lulling Egon to sleep. He briefly lowered his head on the mattress as he tapped along to the rhythm of a song from The Beatles that was playing out of a portable cassette recorder.

"Please wake up," he continued to murmur.

He felt a hand go through his hair.

" _Blackburn singing in the dead of night._ "

Egon immediately opened his eyes and found himself seated in a dimly lit space. It seemed like there were no walls, no ceiling, no floor.

" _Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life. You were only waiting for this moment to arrive._ "

Egon turned his head towards the source of the singing. "Sam!" he uttered as he saw her floating just above him, seemingly lying on a non-existent bed. Her eyes were closed and her arm hung down towards him.

"Shh," she said softly. "Too much noise. Be quiet."

Egon looked around. "What happened?"

"Well, I fell and hit my head."

Egon was taken aback. Then tried again. "I mean, where are all your memories?"

"Somewhere there," she said as she raised her hand in the air and waved. "I don't want to deal with that yet."

"Are you waking up?"

Sam opened one eye at her cousin. "No. Not yet."

"Then how—"

Sam closed her eye. "You kept tapping my hand and telling me to wake up over and over again. This was the only way I could shut you up without having to face the world just yet. Now, if you please?"

Egon let Sam's hand rest on his head again. A few minutes of silence passed before he spoke once more.

"I spoke to Volign."

"Yes?"

"He mentioned you had a very rough time with Strøm."

"That's an understatement."

Egon paused. "If you need to—"

Sam suddenly got up and slid down to sit by Egon's side.

"Egon, right now I just need you to be here. Just here. Like when we were kids and we'd just be next to each other appreciating the silence for what it is."

Egon looked at her face. She still seemed tired, but there was also a peaceful look about her as well. He nodded. He put his arm around her.

Sam leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder. "When I'm ready, I promise to talk to you."

Egon kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Sam. Go rest," he whispered to her.

They sat in silence for some time before Sam started singing again. Egon closed his eyes and smiled. He hadn't heard Sam sing since they were thirteen years old.

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Isn't that supposed to be 'Blackbird'?"

"Hush. This is my head, not yours."

Egon woke up as Cyrus gently shook his shoulder. "Go home, Egon."

Sam finally woke up two days later.

Sam stayed in the hospital for another week. Egon's plans to visit more often were dashed when they ended up dealing with a few difficult cases, such as when Slimer's fairy tales came to life after he hid his favorite book under Egon's ethereal solidifier.

Sam and Cyrus were scheduled to fly back to the Midwest the day Sam was released from the hospital. Egon had planned for a whole day visit, but was deterred once more by a major case: making sure New York City wasn't flattened by a fight between a Babylonian god and a five-headed dragon. He was able to make a short call to Sam though.

So he was surprised to see his cousin and uncle at the firehouse when the Ghostbusters returned. Sam was waiting by Janine's desk, seated in a wheelchair. Her ribs were still bandaged. Both her right arm and left leg were in a cast.

"What are you doing here?" asked Egon. "You might miss your flight."

"Sam refuses to leave without helping you," Cyrus said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Help me with what?" Egon asked, puzzled.

"Uncle Cyrus, I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Do you mind?" asked Sam as she looked thoughtfully at Egon.

"Not at all, my dear," answered Cyrus. "Ms. Melnitz, could you assist me please?" 

Peter also took the hint. "Guys, let's all help Dr. Spengler get something to drink, shall we?" he said with a wink.

"Why? It's just water," Ray asked as he was being pushed along by Winston.

"I'll tell you when we get upstairs, my man," replied Winston.

Sam waited until she was alone with Egon. "Grab a chair and sit by me, will you?" she told her cousin.

"What are you helping me with?" asked Egon as he positioned himself on Sam's left.

Sam offered her left hand to Egon. "You called me about a dream, remember?" she said.

Egon looked at Sam's open palm. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Don't annoy me before I leave," Sam replied sternly. "You know I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't up to it. Now, come on! I have a flight to catch." 

Egon looked up to meet Sam's eyes, smiled, and took her hand.

* * *

Dr. Egon Spengler was falling.

Halfway down to his death, Egon realized something was terribly wrong. It was a scene that had happened before. He knew Winston Zeddemore was flying the Ecto-2. He was supposed to hear the familiar sound of their two-seater autogyrocopter. Any second, Winston should be flying in to save him in a heroic maneuver.

But Winston was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Egon glimpsed something else. A cloud of black smoke was approaching him fast. His eyes grew wide.

The scene stopped abruptly. "Again," stated Sam.

Egon once again found himself falling from the top of the World Trade Center. Any second now, Winston should be flying in to save him. But instead, he glimpses Maël. The demon laughed maniacally.

"Again," stated Sam.

As Egon fell from the top of the World Trade Center, he glimpsed the form of Maël racing towards him.

"Again," stated Sam. "Concentrate on what really happened."

Egon lost count on how many times they repeated the exercise. He was getting frustrated. But his cousin was persistent. "You can do this. You're a Spengler. Concentrate!"

Egon once again found himself falling from the top of the World Trade Center. As he fell, he heard a familiar sound. 

Winston had finally flown in on the Ecto-2 and caught him in mid-air.

* * *

Egon opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He continued to hold her hand tightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"It's the least I could do," replied Sam. She looked at her cousin and caught the uncertainty in his eyes.

"Is there something else that's bothering you, Egon?"

"I hope you don't mind me asking."

"Out with it then."

"You said you threw Strøm into your strongest memory. What was it?"

Sam's expression softened. She gave Egon a sad smile.

"It was the day I lost mom and dad."

Egon was stunned. He leaned forward and hugged Sam tight. They held that hug for some time until they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"It's time to go, Sam," announced Cyrus.

Egon stood up to put his chair away. Then he went behind Sam's wheelchair.

One by one, the Ghostbusters said their goodbyes.

"Take care, Sam," said Janine as she hugged Sam.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Sam whispered.

"Don't be. It wasn't you, remember?"

"Take care of Egon, okay?"

Janine smirked. "If he'd let me."

Peter was next. He hesitated before he bent over, cupped Sam's cheek on one hand and placed a gentle kiss on her other cheek. Sam closed her eyes, bowed her head and bit her tongue. Egon raised an eyebrow. 

Sam cleared her throat. Then opened her eyes again to look straight at Peter.

"I hope Strøm didn't traumatize you much," she said.

"Me? Get traumatized? HA!" said Peter. "A hero like me never gets traumatized!"

"Of course, Mr. Venkman. What was I thinking?" Sam said sarcastically.

"Get better soon!" said Winston as he shook Sam's good hand.

"Will do!" promised Sam.

"Yeah! Get well soon, Sam!" said Ray enthusiastically. "Then I can teach you how to use the equipment again when you come back!"

Sam gave a dry laugh. "To be honest, I hate your job."

Ray's smile faltered.

"Uhm, excuse me?" said Egon, surprised by Sam's declaration.

"Egon, I was hoping Uncle Cyrus would have been successful in getting you to work for him instead of running around with a ticking time bomb on your back."

Everyone was silent.

"But, I must admit. This does fit you like a glove. I'm just surprised you decided to turn your research into a business."

"Actually, it was Peter's idea."

Sam rolled her eyes at Peter. "Now it makes sense."

"Well, it was still nice to have you around. I mean, when you were you and not a demon," Ray babbled as he held out his hand to Sam.

Sam smiled and took his hand to shake.

Ray found himself in the alleyway outside the firehouse, watching Peter and Winston run towards Sam who was crumpled on the ground. He turned his head to the side.

Sam gaped at him. "Oh, fuck me." 

Ray gave a yell as he let go of Sam's hand and fell backwards.

"Ray! What's wrong?" Winston asked as he helped Ray up.

"You're the spare!" Sam said.

Egon's mouth hung open. "Ray?"

"Shit," Sam swore. "No wonder Strøm liked you so much."

"I thought she liked me?" asked Peter.

"No, she just liked the way you fucked her in college," stated Sam. Sam quickly shut her mouth. She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and pinched the bridge of her nose when she realized what she just said.

"You slept with Strøm?" asked Egon incredulously.

"That wasn't you egging me to come inside you?!" Peter asked.

"Venkman. Shut up," Sam growled.

"Why would Sam sleep with you?!"

"She was my girlfriend! I thought she was being intimate!"

"Venkman. Shut. Up."

"I told you to keep an eye on her, not date her!"

"How else could I get close enough to do that?"

"VENKMAN! SHUT! UP!"

The trash can next to the desk suddenly rattled. Everyone turned their attention to the sound, not knowing what to expect.

Then Slimer popped out of the trash.

Egon stared at Sam. Sam looked up at her cousin and blinked.

"Nothing happened. I didn't have a migraine." Sam began to smile. "I think—I think I can't move things anymore."

Egon was about to say something when a voice was loudly heard from the front door. "Hey! Who called for a cab?"

The Ghostbusters bid their final farewells and sent off Cyrus and Sam.

As soon as the cab had turned the corner, Egon faced his colleague. "Explain how exactly did you end up sleeping with my cousin, Peter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my story!
> 
> A **GREAT BIG THANK YOU** to my bestie for taking the time to beta read this work and question my life choices in the process! Without you, this probably would have never seen the light of day! :D
> 
> Yes, I know. It's such an emotional roller coaster of a story. Let me know any thoughts and questions that you have.
> 
> I hope you loved Samantha Blackburn as much as I did.
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> You can chat me up at 
> 
> Telegram: <https://t.me/headgeekette>  
> Twitter: @headgeekette


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